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Individual:
Thomas Clark first appeared in this country as a settler in July, 1623, when he arrived in Plymouth in the "Anna" in a company of 42 adult passengers besides children. He brought with him considerable property especially cattle and had land allotted to him near Eel River, now Chiltonville.
In 1627 he was the only person of that name in Plymouth Colongy. In documents of the period he is called carpenter, yeoman, merchant or gentleman. In 1633 he took the freeman's oath and in 1637 headed alist of volunteers to act against the Pequot Indians. In 1640 he is included in a list of 58 "purchasers or old comers" in Plymouth. 1641-43-44-45-46-47 he was constable and surveyor of highways. In 1643 was in alist of men able to bear arms. 1651-1655 was representative to General Court and was at one time emplyed to audit the accounts of the colony.
Between 1655 and 1660 he removed to Boston where he lived in the vicinity of Scott's Lane; his son married Mehitable Scotto (dau. of Thomas Scotto) and he gave him a house in that region.
His son moved to Harwich and Thomas followed; the two were among the earliest proprietors of that town. In his latter days he lived with his dau., Susanna Lothrop, at Barnstable.
From 1654 to 1697 he was deacon of the Plymouth Church. He married 1st about 1634 Susan Ring (dau. of widow Mary Ring) of Plymouth. All his children were probably of this marriage. he married 2nd Mrs. Alice Nichols, dau. of Richard Hallett, in Boston 1664.
He died in Plymouth Mch. 24, 1697 and was buried on the summit of Burying Hill where his gravestone is still to be seen.
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THOMAS CLARKE, the PILGRIM
Thomas Clarke, who was buried on the hill, in Plymouth, came over in the Anne, in 1623, being then 23 years old.
He was probably a seafaring man, as well as carpenter. It is recorded that in 1635, he lost a boat worth L15 in a great storm in Eel river.
He had for his garden plot in 1623, one acre on the south side of the brook. In 1637, he was the first to volunteer to go against the Pequot Indians. In this roll are Mr. Stephen Hopkins and his two sons, Caleb and Giles. At this date he dewelt at Eel river, and was styled "yeoman."
In 1642, he was surveyor of Plymouth; in 1651, one of the Plymouth committee. He appears to have been a very active, trading, speculating man. In 1629, he bought an acre of land on the south side of town for 30 pounds of tobacco and the next day sold it to Governor Bradford. He purchased a lot of land at Eol river in 1630, for L10. He resided at Plymouth in 1613 and 58. December 3, 1639, he was fined 30 shillings for extortion, in that he sold a pair of boots and spurs for 15 shillings which he had purchased for 10 shillings. Before 1631, he had married Susanna, daughter of widow Mary Ring. Stephen Doan married another of Mrs. Ring's daughters.
In 1654 Thomas Clarke purchased a large tract of land in Brewster from Experience Mitchell of Bridgewater. This name of Mitchell does not occur in Freeman's History; but the purchase was made, as evidenced by the warrantee deed, in which Mr. Mitchell says: "I, Experience Mitchell, formerly of Duxbury, but now of Bridgewater, in the Government of New Plymouth &c., one of the purchasers of the lands of said Plymouth Colony, in consideration of a certain competent sum of current pay to me in hand, at, and many years before, the ensealing and delivery of these presents, by Mr. Thomas Clarke of the town of Plymouth, &c., one other of said purchasers, well and truly paid, have in the year 1654, given granted, bargained, sold, aliened, enfroffed, and confirmed, and absolutely do confirm &c., unto said Thomas Clarke his heirs and assigns forever, all that tract or tracts of uplands and meadows, that I had or have, as purchaser, lying and being from the bounds of Yarmouth, ranging three miles to the Eastward of a place called Namskookitt, quite across the neck from sea to sea, and from the bounds of Eastham to a place called the Eastern Harbor, as more fully may appear pr. Court Records, excepting always reserved out of this present grant one small lot of upland with some meadow laid out to me adjoining or near unto Mr. William Bradford's lot, near Bound Brook, as may more fully appear by the Records of said lots; which lot I gave my son-in-law, John Washburn, who sold it to said Bradford; but all the rest of my lands within the bounds above mentioned, I have sold as aforesaid, with all the rights and appertenances therein belonging."
March 6, 1654-5, he was presented before the grandjury for taking six pounds for the bare loan of twenty pounds one year, which the jury "conceived to be great extortion, contrary to the law of God and man." At his trial the traverse jury cleared him. It was probably a false charge.
The wife of Samuel Jenney dying about 1659, left alegacy to her daughter, and placed the child and her portion in the custody of Mr. Clarke. But on petition of Mr. Jenney, the court delivered to him his child, but allowed the property to remain in custody of Mr. Clarke.
He died at Plymouth, March 24, 1697, aged 98 years.
Andrew Clark, son of the Pilgrim, Thomas Clarke, of Plymouth, was living in Boston before 1676. He married Mehitable, daughter of Thomas Scottow of Boston.
She was baptised 11 Feb. 1649. They had Thomas, born in 1672, Susanna, born in 1674, married John Gray, and other children. Mr. Clark removed to Satucket, which was the Indian name of the western part of Brewster, about 1675. His father, Thomas Clarke, in 1693, conveys lands in Satucket, for love and affection, to his sons and grandsons, viz.: Thomas, son of his son Andrew, a place of land at Satucket, already laid out and in his tenure and occupancy, bought of Sachemus, Indian sachem, n 1653, with rights of meadows lying by the meadows of Mark Snow, also ten acres lying by lands of William Myrick, and 5 acres lying with lands of Daniel Cole; "also one m---- of my meadows lying at Naneskeket now in the tenure of Mr. Thomas Crosby, with all my purchased lands that were purchased in 1674, and 1675, by the water side between the lands in the occupation of Thomas Freeman and the land that Mr. Prence obtained of Sachemus, both land and marsh; also my land which I purchased of an Indian called Keencomsei, which John Freeman, Jr., hath enclosed for a pasture; also that my land and pasture lying by the mills on the Eastward side of Satucket river, that Mr. Thomas Prence purchased of Sachemus in the year 1663, and also half of my grist mill standing on Satucket river but not to have the profits of said mill till the term of seven years after the date of these presents. As also one half my meadows lying by John Dillingham's house.
"Next I give to my son Andrew Clark and to Mehetabel his wife for their lives, all my dwelling house and land that is within fence on the westerly side of Satucket river, where said Andrew Clark now lives, and also half my meadows lying by John Dillingham's, and after the decease of him, my said son Andrew Clark and Mehetabel his wife or her marriage again, I give the above lands and meadows unto Andrew, Scotto, and Nathl., the sons of my said son Andrew Clark to be equally divided between them. I further give and grant unto my said grandson Thomas Clark all my ten acres and 3/4 of land, that I purchased of an Indian named Wequam, and also those lands I bought of an Indian called Joseph Shantom, with free liberty to my said grandson, to purchase what lands yet remain unpurchased of said Indians, viz., Wequam and Shantom. All the rest of my lands in Barnstable county, that I have now or may have, hereafter I give to my sons and grandsons, viz., Willard Clark, James Clark, and Nathaniel Clark, and to the sons of said William, viz., James, John and Andrew, except his son Thomas above said."
Scottow Clark, son of the first Andrew, was a miller, and lived on Stony river, otherwise called Satucket river. A grist mill on this river was sold in 1677, by William Griffith of Harwich, to Thomas Clarke, the Pilgrim. This, or another, was part of the inheritance of the heirs of Gov. Prence. In 1696-7, John Tracy, Jr., of Duxbury, conveyed his share of it with the land adjoining, viz., 100 acres which he had from his mother Mary, daughter of Governor Prence, to John Gray, for L3; and in 1700, Jeremiah Howes and Sarah his wife, and Jean Snow, widow of Mark, sold their shares to said John Gray of Harwick, for L6, 11s.
Andrew Clark's brother, Nathaniel was for a long time secretary of the colony.
Cape Cod Library, Volume I, Thomas Clarke, the Pilgrim, and His Descendants, pgs. 740-41.
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THOMAS, Plymouth, a carpenter, came in the Ann 1623, m. Susanna, d. of wid. Mary Ring, (bef. 1631, when in her mo.'s will he is nam.), had Andrew; James; Susanna, wh. m. 3 Nov. 1658, Barnabas Lothrop; William; John; and Nathaniel. He was rep. 1651 and 5, m. sec. w. 1664, wid. Alice Nichols, d. of Richard Hallet, liv. in 1670 at Harwich, where he had third w. Elizabeth Crow, perhaps wid. of John, and d. 24 Mar. 1697, aged, says the gr.stone, 98, or more prob. only 92, since in 1664 he [[vol. 1, p. 401]] made. that he was a. 59 yrs. old. But to this suffic. longev. the " Guide to Plymouth," 255, would make alarming addit. in his note, " suppos. mate of the Mayflower." We can hardly doubt, that the oldest surv. of that memo. voyage, within the bounds of the Old Colony, would have been too well known to need a weak tradit. to lean on; and that officer of 1620 must have been older than the oldest liv. in 1697, had he not been d. many yrs. bef. In 1627 this Thomas, not the mate, had sh. in the div. of lds. as com. in the Ann, not Mayflower. THOMAS, Newport 1638, elder br. of John of the same, bapt. soon after b. 31 Mar. 1600, one of the found. of the first ch. of Bapt. 1641, and d. 2 Dec. 1674, without ch. leav. est. to childr. of his br. Joseph in his will, where alone we find their names. THOMAS, Boston, merch. had first liv. at Dorchester, 1636, selectman there 1641 and 2, ar. co. 1638, freem. 14 Mar. 1639, a capt. in 1653, and after head of the Boston reg. rep. 1651, and many yrs. more, speaker in 1662, and sev. yrs. later, chos. an Assist. 1673, and d. 28 July 1678. His first w. was Mary, by wh. he had Mehitable, b. 18 Apr. 1640; Elizabeth 22 May 1642; and Deborah, bapt. 9 June 1644. Other ch. were Thomas, the only s. and Leah, perhaps, both b. in Eng. but his will, made shortly bef. his d. instr. us that she was w. of Thomas Baker, Deborah, w. of Nathaniel Byfield, and Elizabeth Stevens among ds. and sev. gr.ch. with conting. provision for gr. gr.ch. and his wid. was Ann. Surnames of either w. are not kn. High should be our esteem of C. wh. was one of only two mem. of the legislat. the Boston reps. in 1656, that voted against the law for putt. to d. Quakers, wh. ret. after banishm. Dr. Harris, with doubtful propriety, suppos. him to be one of three brs. Bray, Joseph, and Thomas, of D. 1630, commemo. in epit. on a gr.stone:
Here lie three Clarks, their accounts are even,
Entered on earth, carried up to heaven.
A Genealogical Dictionary of The First Settlers of New England,
Before 1692, Volume #1, By James Savage
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January 5, 1635/36 (PCR 1:36) Thomas Clarke was plaintiue against widow Warren, for taking a boat of his, which was lost in ye Eele Riuer, wher she left it, by an extraordinary storme, in ye same place; for which he demanded 15li damage; but ye jury aquite ye defendante, finding ye boat to be borrowed, & laid in an ordinary place of saftie; yet, for other considerations, they gaue ye said Thomas Clarke 30s.
February 1, 1640/41 (PCR 2:7) It is ordered by the Court, that the twenty acres of land wch Thom Clarke bought of Raph Wallen shalbe layd forth at the lower end of the two lottes of 40 acres that he hath at the Eele Riuer, and that Edward Banges, Nicholas Snowe, & Josuah Pratt shall also lay forth Sarah Mortons lott there, and after they are layd forth, the bounds to be entred in the booke of recordes, that there may be no more controusy about them.
June 3, 1657 (PCR 3:120-121) +Richard Sparrow and Thomas Clarke were appointed by the Court as a comittee to take into seroiuse consideration what way to take for the accomodation of our honored Gou and majestrates in makeing prouission for them as occation doth require, haue recomended to the Court the result of thiere agitations, which were read in Court and approued, and accordingly recorded as followeth:--
1. Wee doe agree that Mistris Bradford shalbee satisfyed by the Tresurer what charges shee had been att in intertaining our honored Gou and majestrates for this psent Court.
2. Wee doe agree that shee shall haue ten pounds of the best pay, to bee payed vnto her out of the Treasurer, to satisfy for such trouble and charge as shee shall sustaine in entertaining of our honored Gou and majestrates for the ensuing yeare.
In the case betwixt Thomas Clarke and Samuell Jenney, about the daughter of Samuell Jenney, named Sarah Jenney, vpon diuers considerations the Court haue agreed and doe order, that Samuell Jenney shall haue his said daughter deliuered vnto him, although notwithstanding the Court doe heerby declare themselues that they expect that the said Thomas Clarke to haue respect to the said child, and a care of her and her portion as an ouerseer, according to the will of Mis Jenney.
Plymouth Colony Court Records
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Clarke, Thomas
Plymouth Colony, p.265
-Arriving in 1623 on the Anne, Thomas Clarke later married (1) Susanna Ring (daughter of Mary Ring, q.v.), who was the mother of all his children, and (2) Alice (Hallett) Nichols. He is believed (by John Insley Coddington, F.A.S.G., among others) to have been the Thomas Clarke who was baptized at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, Middlesex, on 8 March 1599/1600, son of John and Mary (Morton) Clarke (see Jacobus, "Thomas Clark[e] of Plymouth and Boston in the Line of Nathaniel3 of Lyme, Connecticut," TAG 47:3, and Coddington, "The Clark Family of Beverly and Rochester, Mass.," TAG 43:19). There has been speculation that his father might have been the John Clarke who was a pilot on the 1620 Mayflower; however such a relationship has not been recognized by the Mayflower Society. Others believe that he was the son of the Mayflower pilot, but that he was born at Rotherhithe, Surrey. His children were William, Andrew, John, James, Susanna, and Nathaniel, as given by Alfred H. and Katharine W. Radasch, The Thomas Clark Family (1972), a partly documented family history covering the early generations. See also John G. Hunt, "Origins of Three Early Plymouth Families: Cole, Collier, and Clarke," TAG 42:119 and Prentiss Glaizer, "Clark-Clarke Families of Early Connecticut," NEHGR 128:22. The Radasch book gives a brief background for Thomas Clarke, showing that he was described variously as a carpenter, yeoman, merchant, and gentleman. He was chosen a constable, highway surveyor, and Plymouth deputy. He removed from Plymouth to Boston after 1655 and before his second marriage, and returned to Plymouth ca. 1678. He died at Plymouth in March 1697/98.
On 27 March 1634 the following people were rated the following amounts, as determined by Gov. Thomas Prence, William Bradford, Capt. Myles Standish, John Howland, Stephen Hopkins, John Doane, William Gilson, William Collier, John Jenney, Robert Hicks, Jonathan Brewster, Kenelm Winslow, and Stephen Deane (PCR 1:26-29): Tho: Clarke 01:07:00
"Plymouth Colony: It's History & People" by Eugene Aubrey Stratton, Ancestry Publications, c1986, pg. 265.
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ANNE -- of London (140 tons); William Peirce, master; and LITTLE JAMES (44 tons); John Bridges, master; arriving July-August, 1623, with about 60 persons for ye generall, some of them being very usefull persons, ... and some were so bad as they were faine to be at charge to send them home again ye next year."
(STRANGERS)
Clarke, Thomas (1599-1697) -- carpenter
Married, c.1630, to Susanna Ring; to Alice Nichols, 1664; 6 children; grave probably oldest on Burial Hill.
"Saints and Strangers" by George F. Willison, Reynal & Hitchcock, c1945, pg. 448.
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