Birch Research Page:

"Explorer  Clark" DNA Line

compiled by Linda Sparks Starr

July 2007

It seems all Virginia-based CLARK families have a tradition of some relationship to the line that includes General George Rogers and explorer William Clark. It is understandable people want to claim kin to historic lines; but the truth is, as of this date, only the three DNA participants within the Birch tree group do so via a direct male "Clark" line. To be fair, most participants came to their conclusion based on what is generally considered "good paperwork research."  But the fact is, adding DNA results to previous research findings has changed some lines. Too bad it will take years for the large, internet-based databases to catch up with this new technology. 

Upfront:  I do not claim be an authority on this line, nor have I spent much time researching it -- beyond checking for possible kinship between it and the "Oak Tree" Christopher Clark group.   This list of Clark descendants is based on articles published in The Filson Club History Quarterly of Louisville, Kentucky and Conquest of the Country Northwest of the River Ohio 1778-1783 and Life of General George Rogers Clark by William Hayden English, The Brown Merrill Co., Indianapolis & Kansas City, MO, 1896. All include among their sources members of the immediate (children or nieces and nephews of the explorer) Clark family as well as papers located in the Lyman Draper Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society. 

The traditional account of the emigrant varies little from one published version to another.  English (p. 30) recites the account then follows up with an apt comment:  

".... tradition seems clear and positive that [the] paternal ancestor, who first came to this country, emigrated from England, and that his name was John.  ... Tradition has it that he settled on the James river, in Virginia, and became a planter; that either on the vessel coming over, or soon after his arrival, he met, and fell in love with, a Scotch girl, who became his wife, and that she was 'a red-haired beauty.' .... There is uncertainty as to the date of this emigration and as to the history of the family for some time afterwards. The date has been vaguely mentioned as 'about 1620 or 1630.'   ....  If the date of the emigration mentioned is correct, it would seem conclusive that these were the grandsons, and not, as some have supposed, the sons of John, the emigrant, but there is no certainty that the date mentioned is correct ...."

Indeed all the documents confirming or disputing the traditional account were destroyed. With available paperwork we can't even say for sure the given name of the father of brothers Jonathan and John. It is assumed they were born in Virginia between the years1695 and 1700. But the first time either of them appears in Virginia records is 1725 -- so that's where this accounting of the male descendants begins. Only one of these brothers is known to have married; the other is not known to have left descendants.

I begin with what is known about this unmarried brother -- John Clark (abt 1698 - 1757). Because he lived, most if not all, his life and died in a burned county -- King & Queen County -- we return to the traditional account reported (p. 31) by English:  " Less is known of his brother John, but it is said he died, unmarried, in Caroline county, Virginia in 1757, leaving his estate to his brother Jonathan's son John, who was  the father of George Rogers Clark.  As this last named John moved to Caroline county in the same year his Uncle John died there ... it may be that he moved to look after the estate which his uncle had bequeathed to him."

 That leaves us with Jonathan, the grandfather of Gen. George Rogers and explorer William.  "Said to be born 1695-1698 in Drysdale Parish, King & Queen County, Jonathan Clark married Elizabeth (Wilson)."  They had four children, proven by his will, a portion of which was inserted into Albemarle county deeds. Additionally, a complete "copy" obtained from family records is in the Lyman Draper Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society.  Their two sons were:  John (1724 - 1799) and   (abt 1730 - 1806).

 John (1724-1799) m. Ann Rogers about 1749 in Caroline County, Virginia.  They were the parents  of ten children, six of whom were males.  According to p. 274 Genealogies of Kentucky Families from Filson Club History Quarterly * :

Gen. Jonathan, born August 1, 1750  died Nov. 25, 1811

Gen.George Rogers, born November 19, 1752  died  Feb. 13, 1818; no issue  *                     

Capt. John born September 15, 1757 died Oct. 29, 1783;  no issue  *

Lt. Richard born  July 6, 1760 -  March 1783;  no issue *

Capt. Edmund born  Sept 25,1762 died Mar 11, 1815; no issue *

Gen.  / explorer William  born Aug 1, 1770  died Sept 1, 1838 

Thus, only two sons of John  and Ann (Rogers) Clark had male heirs:

Gen. Jonathan (1750-1811) m. Sarah Hite 13 Feb 1782. Their sons were:

John --   DNA kit # 60261

Isaac

William

George W.

[James Alexander Thom:  From Sea to Shining Sea is cited by the compiler who sent this list of sons for Gen. Jonathan and Sarah (Hite) to me.]

explorer William married Julia Hancock Jan 5, 1808

                           married 2nd (Mrs.)  Harriet K. Radford  Nov 28, 1821

"She (Julia Hancock) died 1820 leaving him 4 sons and 1 daughter and about two years afterwards, he remarried to the cousin of his first wife, Mrs. Harriett Kennerly Radford, who bore him two sons.  Three of his children, the daughter and two of the sons, died while quite young."

[A History of Caroline County, Virginia by M. Wingfield]  Surviving sons:

(with Julia)

Meriwether Lewis

William P.

George Rogers Hancock -- DNA Kit #1839 line

(with  Harriet)

Jefferson

That brings us to Benjamin b. abt 1730 Caroline County, Virginia, son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Wilson) and brother of John who married Ann (Rogers).  Benjamin married Elizabeth Lea / Lee about 1751, either in Lunenburg County or they moved south to Lunenburg shortly after the marriage.  Benjamin died there January 9, 1806, without a will.  One would think his life would be an open book  since Lunenburg County records are mostly intact. But the Indiana tombstone of his son, Marston Greene Clark, apparently says Marston was the youngest of 29 brothers and 3 sisters (English states 29 sons and 2 daughters). This statement led some researchers to say Benjamin was married twice. They added: "the second wife was probably named  Elizabeth Greene" since "Greene" appears as a middle name in the descendant line. 

However, other family members dispute the second marriage and only six children can be documented. Specifically cited as evidence against a second marriage is a letter written in 1894 by a near relative, Fannie L. Beauchamp, to R. C. Ballard Thurston, then secretary of the Filson Club:  "There is nothing more positive in all that has been said or written of Benj. Clark  than his marriage  with Elizabeth Lee. He was only married once. I have heard the marriage commented on when I was a child."

 Information on Benjamin comes from e-mail Molly Daniel shared with the Clarke Family Genealogy list in 1997 -- citing as her sources the Benjamin Clark Papers within the Lyman Draper Collection and R. C. Ballard Thruston articles published by The Filson Club History Quarterly. She added at the end:  "Much of this was summarized in the privately published family genealogy by Georgia Price Crenshaw To My People.  It  was published by her family members in 1948 (after her death) and original copies are no longer available. A retyped transcript is available from Gorin Genealogical Publishing."

 The sons of Benjamin & Elizabeth Lea/Lee are:

·         Jonathan -- didn't marry -- Barren Co. KY will (1829) left property to brothers Everard and Marston G. and sister Lucy.

·         William -- didn't marry -- Jefferson Co. KY will (1791) left property to his five named siblings plus other relatives.

·         Benjamin Wilson m. Frances Ragsdale, 10 children lived to adulthood

·         Marston Green of Salem, Indiana m. Lucy Harper, 11 children

·         Everard -- only a daughter is mentioned.

DNA Kit #68382 is also a member of the Birch Tree Group, but at the time he submitted his chart, he could only take his line back to William Stymson Clark born 1802 in New York.  Finding the paperwork connection between these two branches may be worth the challenge for both sides.