William Clark of Bedford

Not the same as William Clark, of Wethersfield

Disambiguation

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Clark-1861

Some people say that William Clarke Sr. lived in Wethersfield and married Susannah Treat. That was a different William Clarke Sr, found at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Clarke-12478]. The two have been confused since the 1800's, but the William of Stamford and Bedford NY and the William of Wethersfield are definitely distinctly different people. They both have notes that prove they continued to live in their respective towns; their children have only one name in common (William).

Family

• Son of Samuel Clarke Sr. and Hannah (Fordham) Clarke
• Brother of Joseph Clark and Daniel Clark
• Wife unknown.

From the Records of Bedford it seems that William Clark, Sr., had three sons:

1. William Clark, Jr., eldest son of William, Sr., was born about 1662, for in 1690, he was one of the 21 male inhabitants of Bedford. Conveyances of land to, and from him are on record from 1690. He married Hannah—and had John, William, Ebenezer, David and Joseph.
2. Nathan
3. Joseph Clark, youngest son of William, Sr., was born about 1680. His name is found on several conveyances, one of which is his Deed, Nov. 26th, 1703, of twelve acres of upland, to Thomas Wood " upon ye Ridge called Clark Ridge 1 part of ye land y't was laid out to ye said Clark's honoured father William Clark, Sr.
4. John Holmes Jr., freeholder, aged 50 years [born 18 Oct 1660 Stamford, son of John Holmes and Rachel Waterbury]; Sarah [Clark], his wife, aged 36 years [born 1674, daughter of William Clark Sr.]; Rachel Holmes, his daughter, aged 15 years [born 1695, married Robert Bostwick];
5. Margery CLARK #126, b. Cir 1680. Married, Unknown spouse. (Joseph A. Arlt)

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Biography

“History and Genealogy of Samuel Clark, Sr., and His Descendants from 1636 ...” By Edgar Warner Clark. Page 11. < GoogleBooks >

WILLIAM CLARK, SR.

The following, William, Sr., was a son of the first Samuel, of Stamford, Ct.

RWilliam Clarke, Sr., was one of the original proprietors of a part of the Township of Bedford, West Chester Co., N. Y. He with fifteen others purchased, on the 23d of December, 1680, the land where Bedford now stands, of Indian chiefs, Mohegans. In 1690 there were thirty-one inhabitants in the Township, two of whom were William Clark's. On the last deed from Indians (Mohegans) of land is the name Nathan Clark, a son, as witness July 24th 1703.

On the 8th of April, 1704, Queen Anne confirmed the town of Bedford, 23,000 acres to its 29 land-holders, three of whom were the two Williams and Nathan Clarke. Bedford was called the " Hop Lands," also • Katonahs Land.

They organized a church (Congregational) in 1680. First minister was Peter Prudden, from 1681-8; second minister, Thomas Denham, June 28, 1688; salary, £20. First installed pastor was William Tenpant, in 1720, who remained six years. In 1692, December 16th, David Mead was chosen to keep the drum and beat it to call together the assemblies; allowed " ten shillings yearly.” Bedford had no slaves.

This William Clarke, Sr., was born in 1645, in Stamford, Ct., and died in Bedford, in 1712, aged about 67 years.

There are many conveyances of land on record to William, Sr., like the following :

• October 28th, 1684, he receives an allotment of land.
• February 30, 1686, Joshua Webb conveys to him eight acres of land.
• Jan. 1st, 1680. John Higgins conveys to him an 8 acre lot, lying in the East field.
• Dec. 6th, 1687. Cornelius Seeley conveys to him a meadow of three acres, lying between the Cartway and the River.
• June 25th, 1688. John Higgins conveys to him a house and one acre of land, lying north of the Cartway
• Oct. 28th, 1684, is recorded the following: “ The record of William Clark's land, meadow and fence. A house lot in the East Street containing three acres more or less bounded upon the street south and west; upon ye field east and north upon Cornelius Seeley. Also in the east field six acres of land more or less bounded south upon ye land of Abra Ambler north upon the Cartway; and west upon the land layd out to Thomas penoyer now ye said Clark's; and to ye East by ye land given to ye said Clark by the town. Also more in the same field six acres of land more or less layd out unto Thomas penoyer sold by him to Tryhern: and by tryhern to Joseph Miller and by ye said Miller sold to John wescot and by wescot to ye above said William Clark bounded by ye Cartway north: and by ye said William Clark East: South upon John Cross and Abe-Ambler west upon ye land layd out to david Waterbery.'
• In the first division of land, in 1680, 18 acres of land were deeded in severalty to 13 men, all from Stamford.
• In May 11th, 1682, General Court ordered the name changed from “Hop Lands," to Bedford. In 1680 a church lot was reserved and the Court directed that a meeting house be erected. Bedford was in Fairfield Co., Ct., but in 1683 it was transferred to New York Province.
• On the Indian Deed, Dec. 23d, 1680, were names of the Mohegan chiefs, Katonah, Sagamore, Jovis, Stackawae, Segotah, Tohonocagyah, Gannago and Kackemond.

From the Records of Bedford it seems that William Clark, Sr., had three sons, William, Jr., Nathan and Joseph.

The names William and Nathan occur in a list of freeholders of Bedford in 1713-14.