William Randall Clark (1856-1947)
By Chris Clark - revised March
28, 2002
[see also Virginia Walker Clark story]
William Randall Clark was born in Philadelphia on October 13, 1856. He was the son of John Randall Clarke and Mary Ellen Harrington, both born in England. The 1860 US Census for Philadelphia lists seventy John Clark(e)s. Of the few who were born in England only one has a son named William of the right age and birthplace. Here is the family listed in the census:
| Name | Age | M/F | Occupation | Birthplace |
| John Clark | 42 | M | Cabinet maker | Eng |
| Clarra | 38 | F | Eng | |
| Emma | 18 | F | Eng | |
| Alfred | 16 | M | Carpenter app | Eng |
| Martha | 14 | F | Eng | |
| John | 9 | M | Eng | |
| Alace | 7 | F | Eng | |
| William | 4 | M | PA | |
| Charles | 1 | M | PA | |
| Martha Harrington | 59 | F | Eng |
From the children's ages and birthplaces we know the Clarkes migrated to the United States between 1853 and 1856. And since we know Clara was not William’s mother, she was probably John’s second wife. A few other items are also safe guesses: that Mary Ellen was known as “Mamie,” that she died in Philadelphia, and that Martha Harrington was her mother.
John Clarke was a cabinetmaker; an 1857 Philadelphia city directory lists “Clarke, John R., furniture” at 114 S. 17th Street. John began the process of becoming a citizen in 1857 and swore allegiance in October 1864. John originally signed his last name “Clarke” but by 1890 that spelling had changed to “Clark.”
By 1870 most of the family had moved to Cople Parish in Westmoreland County, Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from Charles County, Maryland. The family had also increased by three. Daughter Clara was born in 1862 and two sons, Edgar and Joseph, arrived in 1863 and 1865. The family continued to live in Virginia at least until 1880, when they once again appear in the U.S. Census. It is possible that the Clark family took advantage of the dire financial situation in postwar Virginia, to leave crowded Philadelphia and buy a home for a very reasonable price. In 1873 the Cople Parish vestry minutes note, “The general appearance of the church is very nice and shows the touch of a master workman. Mr. J. Clark, an Englishman who has settled here, was the contractor, and his son came from Philadelphia and did the work.” John and his sons, William and Charles, did further work in 1876. In 1883 a business named “J. R. Clark and Son” contributed to “pauper coffins and expenses” in Charles County, MD and John signed a deed with William in 1885. We don't know what happened to John after that.
The oldest four children from Philadelphia do not appear in Virginia in 1870. At least one son stayed behind and at least one married. Four-year-old Mary O’Gary(?), perhaps the orphaned daughter of Emma, is listed with the 1870 family and in 1880 the family includes a thirteen-year-old granddaughter named Mamie Clark (the daughter of Alfred or John?). When William died in 1947, his brother Edgar in Conshohocken, near Philadelphia, was his only living sibling.
- Mamie Ellen Harrington Clark (1884-1919),
- William Harrington Clark (1889-1949),
- Andrew Jackson "Jack" Clark (1892-1971),
- Percival "Percy" Ellsworth Clark (1894-1969),
- Kenneth Randall "Niss" Clark (1896-1948),
- Viola K. Clark (1899-1975), and
- Mary Ruth Clark (1901-1963).
Virginia Walker Clark and her four sons
William was a versatile man and successful in business. At various times in his life he was a blacksmith, wheelwright, farmer, stenographer for Senator Penrose, and even undertaker! He was also an active member of the Democratic Party. But William’s greatest love was horticulture; his final business was raising strawberries. William was an Episcopalian, and the family was active at Christ Church in La Plata.
The eldest daughter and all four sons married and had families, but the younger daughters remained single. Most of the children lived in La Plata. Kenneth ran the “Stumble Inn” and then the Sinclair service station. Viola was the church organist. Percy, who inherited his father’s love of horticulture, became a county extension agent in Prince George's County. William was an auditor for the IRS in Washington.
Virginia died of a stroke on July 18, 1929. According to William’s
obituary, “The latter years of his life were deeply saddened by [Virginia's]
death.” On May 17, 1947, following a lingering illness, he died at
home at the age of ninety. William, Virginia, and four of their children
are buried in Mount Rest Cemetery, east of La Plata..
William's obituary
The grandchildren called William Randall "Pop," and the obituary describes
him as genial, frank, honorable, devoted, loyal, and cheerful. No wonder
his descendants are such wonderful people!
Descendants of WIlliam Randall Clark (a bit out
of date, sorry)
Sources
- Naturalization certificate of John R. Clarke
- Death certificate of VC Clark
- McElroy's 1857 Philadelphia City Directory
- US Census, Philadelphia, PA - 1860
- US Census, Charles County, MD - 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910 and 1920
- US Census, Westmoreland County, VA - 1870 and 1880
- Gravestones in Mount Rest Cemtery, La Plata, MD
- The Life of Cople Parish 1664-1964 by Bertha Davison
- Abstracts of the Port Tobacco Times, volumes 3 and 4
- W.R. Clark obituary in La Plata Times-Crescent, May 23, 1947, p.1
- Deeds at the Charles County Courthouse, La Plata, MD
- Personal knowledge of K. Randall Clark, Jr.
- Personal knowledge of William H. Clark, Jr.
- Personal knowledge of Margaret Clark
- Letter from Betty Clark Bullard, 1996