Judge Lieutenant William CLARK was born in 1609 in Dorset, England. ^{(79)(1636) (1637)} He emigrated on 30 May 1633 to Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony.^{(1638) (1639)(1640) (1641)} Left Southampton on 24 March 1633/4 on the Mary and John. After landing in Nantucket, they decided to settle in Dorchester (579). This voyage is not to be confused with the well known voyage made by this ship in 1630. Trumbull, Cuttere (640) and Hull (580) claim he came on the William and Mary in 1630, but there is less evidence of this (245). He became a member Church of Dorchester between 23 Aug 1636 and 28 Feb 1661 in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA. ^{(1642)(1643) (1644)} The dates reflect when he and his wife became members and when he was dismissed to establish a church in Northampton. His wife and son Nathaniel were dismissed somewhat later. He at least 6 acres of land at Squantum Neck before 1638 in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony. ⁽¹⁶⁴⁵⁾ He was Selectman between 1645 and 1650 in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony.⁽¹⁶⁴⁶⁾ He was elected in 1645, 1647 and 1650 He was a Rator (Assessor) between 1651 and 1657 in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA.⁽¹⁶⁴⁷⁾ He was elected in 1651, 1652, 1655, and 1657. He was a Surveyor between 1652 and 1672 in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA.⁽¹⁶⁴⁸⁾ William was one of four men hired to lay out the town. In 1654, William was chosen one of a committee to lay out a way to the burial ground. In 1672, William laid out the township of Squakheag (later Northfield). He was a "Fence Viewer" between 1653 and 1658 in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA.⁽¹⁶⁴⁹⁾ He was elected in 1653, 1656, 1657, and 1658. He One of 24 men to petition General Court of Massachusetts to "plant, possess and inhabit Nonotuck." in May 1653 in Nonotuck (later Northampton), Hampshire, MA. ^{(1650)(1651) (1652)} The petition to the Massachusetts General Court to inhabit land in Nonotuck (Northampton) was signed in May 1653 by 24 petitioners, including Clarke, who was the only signer not from Connecticut. Although he was therefore one of the original grantees, he did not move there for six years. As he was elected to several local offices. Northampton is the seat of Hampshire county, MA, and lies along the Connecticut River, 17 miles of Springfield. It was originally known as Nonotuck, an Algonquian word meaning "middle of the river." It was settled in Spring 1654 and named for Northampton, England. It subsequently became a self-sufficient farming community. During King Philip's War (1675-76) and Queen Anne's War (1702-13), the area was the scene of brutal raids. In one such attack (May 1704), half the population of the nearby village of Pascommuck (now in Easthampton) was slaughtered. He was a Boundsman between 1654 and 1669 in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA.⁽¹⁶⁵³⁾ William was named Boundsman to determine the boundary between Dorchester and Braintree (1654), Dedham (1655 and 1658) and Roxbury (1658). In 1658, he was chosen to lay out land for Gamalee Beaman and in 1659 for a school, but did not complete these tasks for he had left for Northampton. He was a Farmer after 1654 in Nonotuck (later Northampton), Hampshire, MA.⁽¹⁶⁵⁴⁾ One of the first 24 planters of Nonotuck (Northampton). He served as a Lieutenant of Northampton company militia between 1658 and 1664 in Nonotuck (later Northampton), Hampshire, MA.^{(1655) (1656)} In 1658, Northampton formed its first train band of 60 men and William Clarke was appointed Lieutenant and ranking officer (companies of less than 64 men had no captains). Train bands (local militias) were formed to defend the town and were confirmed by the General Court of Massachusetts, which confirmed Clarke was as Lieutenant on 8 Oct 1662. He Amoung several individuals who financed the building of (and therefore owned) a grsit mill in 1659 in Nonotuck (later Northampton), Hampshire, MA. ⁽¹⁶⁵⁷⁾ Prior to building a mill in Northampton, grain had to be taken to Springfield to be ground. The town provided the site for the mill. Robert Hayward became the first miller and operator. He purchased the site in 1661. He moved in 1659 to Northampton, Hampshire, MA. ⁽¹⁶⁵⁸⁾ During the journey to Northampton, his wife rode a hose with two basket on either side, carrying a boy in each basket and one on her lap. William walked behind them. He Awarded 12 acres of land on the west side of what is now Elm Street and Smith College campus between 20 Oct 1659 and 30 Apr 1661 in Nonotuck (later Northampton), Hampshire, MA. ^(1659)(1660) William's lot, and that of Henry Woodard, were the largest home lots awarded and furthest west. He built a log house (a "block house") and lwhich served as a place of refuge in times of Indian trouble. The lot, called "Meeting House Hill," was the highway on the east and Mill River on the west. It comprises what is today the northern half of the Smith College campus. By 1661, William had been awarded four more lots such that he held 110 acres by the Town of Northampton. Between 1660 and 1674, William purchased outright additional lots totalling another 90 acres. He resided on his original 12 acre lot on Meeting House Hill until 1681.

He was town Commissioner in 1660 in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony. ⁽¹⁶⁶¹⁾ He was Townsman (selectman) between 1660 and 1683 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.⁽¹⁶⁶²⁾ During this period, William was elected 20 times. He was also chosen one of the commissioners to end small causes. He moved between 10 Jul 1660 and 28 Feb 1661 to Nonotuck (later Northampton), Hampshire, MA. ^{(1663)(1664) (1665)} The later date is when he joined the church at Northampton. According to Nyman, Clarke and five other men were persuaded to come to Northampton at the suggestion of Northampton's new minister, Reverend Eleazar Mather. According to Cutter, to the "New Country" of the Connecticut Valley. There was but one solitarily trail through the woods. "His wife rode horseback with two baskets or panniers slung across the horse, carrying a boy in each basket and one on her lap, her husband, fifty years old, preceding on foot." Nyman reports that this was at the time "a customary mode of travel, with furniture and possessions going by boat." According to Trumbull, he arrived with five other men and "their coming was like the infusion of new blood into the veins of an exhausted patient. From the day of their arrival, these men took a leading part in the management of town affairs. Their energy, independence and public spirit soon wrought a marked improvement. All of them were at once put into harness, and from this date the advance of the settlement was steady and vigorous. Other settlers arrived during the year, most of them were from Dorchester." According to Nyman, Northampton was then "a frontier outpost of about 200 inhabitants with two horse paths goring from it - one to Springfield and one to Hadley. Worcester County was still a wilderness so the settlement was surrounded by Indians, except for the group at Springfield to the south. No church organization existed: a plain, thatched structure with one door and two windows served as the house of worship."
He served as a lieutenant of fitst military company in Dorchester in 1661 in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony.⁽¹⁶⁶⁶⁾ He became a member First Church of Christ in Northampton on 28 Apr 1661 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.⁽¹⁶⁶⁷⁾ On that day, he signed the book as did his wife and children. Clarke became one of four founding members of the first church in Northampton. He is remembered as one of the seven pillars of the church. The population of Northampton was then about 300. He was authorized to perform marriages in 1662 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.⁽¹⁶⁶⁸⁾ As Lieutenant of the Northampton company, Clarke became the first person in Northampton authorized to perform marriages ceremonies by the General Court of Massachusetts. He was Associate Justice of the Hampshire County Court between 1662 and 1688 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.⁽¹⁶⁶⁹⁾ The county which would be called Hampshire was formed 7 May 1662. William Clarke and Ens Wilton were chosen to confer with Springfield and Hadley to name the new county. He was thereafter Associate Justice of the county for 26 years. Clarke heard the trial of Mary Bliss Parsons. In 1672, witch hysteria swept through the western outpost of Northampton (20 years prior to the famed hangings in Salem). There was a Mary Bartlett, who died only two years after her marriage. Her husband and father claimed she died of "unnatural means" and witchcraft was suspected. Mary Parsons was widely believed to have been reasonable. She was indicted for witchcraft twice and twice tried but acquitted by the Court of Assistants. He was elected Representative at the General Court between 1663 and 1677 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.⁽¹⁶⁷⁰⁾ During this time he served in 1663 and from 1668 to 1677. He was Deputy of the General Court (of Massachusetts) between 1663 and 1682 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA. ^{(1671)(1672) (1673)} Nine years after the formation of Northampton, Clarke became Northampton's the Deputy of the General Court. He was elected 14 times to that office. He was frequently appointed by the Court to settle grievances with Indians. In 1671, Clarke and two other men were appointed to grant lands to the 33 petitioners who wished to settle the township of Squakheag (later Northfield), which was abandoned during the King Phillip's War in 1675. He was a Tavern owner in 1671 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA. ⁽¹⁶⁷⁴⁾ He Own lot 38 between 1673 and 1683 in Deerfield, Franklin, MA.⁽¹⁶⁷⁵⁾ He owned property and, according to Cutter (637), he resided there as well, but it does not appear that he ever lived there. He served as a Garrison commander in 1675 in King Philip's War (1675-1676).⁽¹⁶⁷⁶⁾ Actively served at age 50. Commanded a garrison of 26 men. Part of the three-man Northampton Committee on Military Affairs. He Slave or indentured servant owner Owned an indentued servant name Benoni Jones from age 12 to 21 between Mar 1678 and 1687 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.⁽¹⁶⁷⁷⁾ His father, Griffith Jones of Springfield, arranged that he be indentured to William until he was age 21. William was to "learn him to read and write and give him 5 £ at the end of his term with sufficient clothing as servants usually have." His mother was Ester Jones. Benoni was born May 13 1665.

Benoni was freed but died in a massacre at age 39. At 23 he married the widow Ester Ingersoll Gurly. They had four children. The family lived in a community of just a few houses (in what is now Easthampton, MA). On 13 May 1704, Indians attacked the Jones house where all 33 of the community's residents had assembled being that the Benoni Jones house was the only fortified house in the area. There 19 were killed, 3 escaped, 8 were rescued later and 3 were carried off. Benoni Jones and sons Ebenezer and Jonathan were killed. Benjamin Jones (8 years old) was scalped but escaped. Ester was kidnapped and taken to Canada where she died after being tormented by priests trying to convert her. "And Then There Was You" by Marjorie E. Cook. 1979

He appeared in court in 1681 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA. ^{(1678)(1679) (1680)} On the night of 14 Jul 1681, the log house of William Clarke was set afire while Clarke and his wife slept inside. It was set by a Negro salve named Jack, who had escaped from Samuel Wolcott of Whethersfield. Jack had been to court previously for several misdemeanors. He was found in Brookfield, Springfield or New Haven and identified by a jackknife in his possession that belonged to William Clarke. He was arrested and confessed that he lit the fire but claimed it was an accident that occurred while he searched for food using a brand of fire he took from the hearth. He was brought to court in Boston where he pled not guilty, but he admitted to it after his confession was read back to him. Clarke testified that the Negro fastened the doors on the outside so that no one could escape, then set the house afire. In his escape, Clarke injured his hands in his escape and his wife was slightly burned. Their grandson, John Clarke, was taken out and laid beside a fence. Clarke had kept gunpowder inside the house and when it exploded, the ridge pole blew across the road and stuck into the ground. The jury found Jack guilty. Jack was sentenced to be "hanged by the neck till he be dead and then taken down and burnt to ashes in the fire with Maria, the Negro." Marie had also been found guilty of burning down the houses of her master but for whatever reason, she was burned alive. Trumbull notes that may slaves were burned alive in New York, New Jersey and the southern colonies, but not in Massachusetts. Cutter (637) says his new house stood until 1826. He Clarke was among several men granted land in Northfield for services rendered in its settlement. between 1683 and 1688 in Northfield, Hampshire, MA. ⁽¹⁶⁸¹⁾ He received over 50 acres but never resided in Northfield although his son William did. He was Justice to County Court in 1687 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.⁽¹⁶⁸²⁾ Served as one of five Justices to the Hampshire County Court held at Northampton. He signed a will on 10 Jul 1690 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA. ^{(1683)(1684) (1685)} He died on 18 Jul 1690 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.^{(1686) (1687) (1688)} Died in an epidemic which started in 1689 and worked its way up the Connecticut River to Northampton. In 1690, 25 residents had died including Clarke and 10 other original settler of the town. Cutter (637) says he died one day earlier. He left, according to his inventory, £131 (reserved 24 for self) & 8 acres (disposed of nearly 200 acres prior to death) between 18 Jul 1690 and 30 Sep 1690 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA. ⁽¹⁶⁸⁹⁾ He was buried after 18 Jul 1690 in Bridge Street Cemetery, Northampton, Hampshire, MA.^{(1690) (1691)} In 1884 or 1888, his descendants erected a memorial to his memory in the Bridge Street Cemetery. He had an estate probated on 30 Sep 1690 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA. ⁽¹⁶⁹²⁾ He A monument was erected by his descendants near his grave in 1880 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.⁽¹⁶⁹³⁾ The old grave stone is still preserved. He was Puritan. ⁽¹⁶⁹⁴⁾ He was a mariner.⁽¹⁶⁹⁵⁾ Clark was " a man of great public spirit, resolute and capable" according to ______ (590) who was quoting from something said at the time.

He married to Sarah HOWARD before 1636. ^{(1696)(1697) (1698)} According to Richardson (448), her name was Sarah HOWARD. According to Trumbull, "William Clarke may be considered the father of [Northampton]. He was a Town officer and was among the first recorded jurors of the court. The court heard cases regarding slander, personal debts of residents, duties of "watchinge," liquor licenses, effluent from the mill, the choosing of residents for militia duty, appointment of county treasurer, recording of wills, and construction of a bridge over Mill River.

Trumbull called Clarke, "One of the 'Dorchester men' who arrived here soon after the settlement of Mr. Mather, he remained, to the end, the firm and faithful friend of his pastor. A man of quiet dignity, self-contained, and ready of resource, he bore a more conspicuous part in the early history of the town, than any others who lived here during the first twenty years of its existence." Clarke was "one of the most influential among the founders of the town. His reputation as a man of business preceded him, and he was at once put forward in many affairs of public importance, and so continued, a leader, till old age compelled him to give place to younger but scarcely better men. A man of great public spirit, resolute and capable, he was sure to be employed by the town in conducting any of its businesses requiring skill, knowledge, tact, and determination. He was a hard worker, a pioneer in the best sense of the term. Enduring hardship with cheerfulness, meeting difficulty half way, conquering oftener that conquered, he stands one of the most prominent among the promoters of the plantation. Founder of a numerous family that has had worthy representatives during the entire history of the town, and whose descendants are scattered throughout the land, his name I honored and respected wherever it is found."

In 1668, William was chosen to deal with local Indian insurgences. In 1670, he was chosen to select a new minister. In 1672, he contributed to Harvard College (10 bushels of wheat).

His wife's surname may have been QUICK. Children were: Sarah CLARK, Deacon Jonathan CLARK, Nathaniel CLARK, Experience CLARK, Increase CLARK, Rebecca CLARK, John CLARK, Samuel CLARK, Captain William CLARK, Sarah CLARK.

He married to Sarah (second wife) on 15 Nov 1676 in Springfield, Hampden, MA.^{(79) (1699)(1700) (1701)} (Sarah was also the name of his first wife).