Robert Clark

Robert Clark, a young fellow living in Carlisle, was among those who came over during the Indian depredations to help protect the pioneers and became familiar with the fine lands and excellent water in this part of the county. When the land office was opened he was not old enough to warrant land, but his father, Thomas Clark, performed that service and warranted for him in 1766. Robert married Mary Alexander, a daughter of Hugh Alexander, spoken of above, and became the progenitor of one branch of the numerous Clark family of what is now Perry County. W. S. Clark, now living near Everett, Bedford County, but a native Perry Countian, is the only one of the fourth generation still living. Mrs. E. R. Loy and Robert Morris Clark are also direct descendants. Of the three members of the first Provincial Assembly from Cumberland County, Hugh Alexander, Wm. Clark and John Brown, the first two were their ancestors.

History of Perry County PA

From "Clarks From Pennsylvania and Allied Families

Robert was the son of Thomas Clark, who was of Scotch extraction and the first known of this line of Clarks in America. The period and place in which he is known to have lived was in great turmoil, and the French and Indians burned many records during the French and Indian War. Records can be found that show where Thomas was taxed and where he applied for land and that he was a Captain during the French and Indian War in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.

The assessment list of 1750 described everything above Peter’s Mountain as the "Narrows of Paxtang"and show that Thomas and Robert Clark were living on or around this island. The “Narrows of Paxtang” refers to the area east of the Susquehanna River near the junction of Juniata and Susquehanna in Pennsylvania (just east of present day Harrisburg). It was considered a dangerous place because of the wild animals. The Scotch-Irish had been ejected from lands east of the Susquehanna River except for this 500-acre area in the Narrows.

Indian incursions caused Robert’s parents to move several times and they finally settled in Perry Co., PA

In 1751 Thomas was assessed in Middleton Township, (Carlisle, PA) Cumberland County (now Perry) the year after it was originated. Cumberland County became a county in 1750 and was made up of all the land west of the Sesquehanna River that was purchased from the Indians at that time. Thomas Clark and his family continued to maintain the property in Middleton Township through 1768, a period of great danger because of the French and Indian War. They then settled in Sherman’s Valley.

The name of Thomas Clark’s wife is unknown and no will or death notice has been found. His children were Robert, Thomas, John, Mary, Frances and Margaret.

There is no doubt that he was an educated man and each of his son's inventories showed that they kept accounts and loaned money to neighbors, friends, and relatives.

Robert Clark

Robert Clark was born in 1739. His childhood and youth were spent on his father’s farm in Sherman's Valley, near Landisburg, on the waters of Sherman Creek.

He was among those who went over the mountain to Sherman’s Valley to help protect the pioneers. He became familiar with the fine lands and excellent water in that part of the county and when the land office was opened, not being old enough (16) to warrant land, his father performed that service for him in 1766.

Robert Clark was listed as a private under Captain Alexander Peoples. In 1778 Robert was a substitute from Cumberland in the 8th Battalion.

He married Mary Alexander March, 1780, at Centre Presbyterian Church in Sherman’s Valley by Rev. John Linn. (see Hugh Alexander connection to this church)

It seems that Robert, his father and brothers worked at surveying in the warmer months and taught school in their own little Clark's School in the winter months. An early map showed Clark's School to be across the road from the residence on the original Clark tract and today a Clark's School still stands in the same approximate location. Whether there is any connection between the early one and the one of today is unknown. It was said that, "the Clark's School is so old nothing can be remembered about it."

Robert and Mary and many of their descendants are buried at the old Centre Church cemetery, "the oldest church still in regular use in Perry County." Both the Clark School and the Centre Church can be found today on maps, close to the towns of Centre and Bixler, North of Landisburg, PA.

excerpted from the 1886 book "The History of the Susquehanna & Juniata Valleys" - page 1022 (Madison township section) "Thomas Clark.........in 1766, took up 242 acres which land is now owned by Robert A. Clark, a descendant, and Abram Stahl. Robert Clark, a son of Thomas, came to Sherman's Valley from Carlisle......Robert Clark married Mary, the third child of Hugh and Martha Alexander. Robert Clark died in 1819, aged 80 years, and his wife in 1838, aged 76 years. Their children were: Thomas Clark - married Nellie Black, 30th of December, 1809, and moved to Ohio, where he died in 1846, and she in 1871. Hugh Clark - did not marry, his residence being in Piqua, Ohio. Frances Clark - married Richard Morrow, probably a neighbor, in 1814, and moved to Miami County, Ohio, where he died in 1864, and his wife a few months later in the same year, aged 76 and 75 respectively. John Clark - married a Susan Clark, of Perry, probably a daughter of Roger Clark, and moved to Ohio in 1816. David Clark - married Margaret Blain, likely one of the Jackson township Blains, in 1815, and moved to Ohio, where he died in 1839, and his wife in 1836. Martha Clark - married Robert Adams, a farmer of Toboyne; lived in Sherman's Valley, where she died in 1813. Her daughter Jeniza married Fisher Nesbit, whose children were John, William, James and Martha. This family and their descendants are mostly in the county. Margaret Clark - married Robert McClure about 1819, and moved to Ohio, where she died in 1840. James Clark - married Ann Coyle, a daughter of David Coyle, who lived for many years on the Benjamin Rice farm in Madison. James Clark lived on the old farm now owned by his oldest son, Robert A. Clark, where he died in 1858, aged 60 years. His wife survived him until the year 1885, dying in Nashville. They had 7 children - Robert A., David C., Martha L., Andrew M., Mary A., Eliabeth A., and William S. Of these children, Robert A. Clark married Matilda Q., daughter of James McNeal of Centre who died some years ago. His present wife is of the Smiley family of Carroll. He has a family of 7 children. David Coyle Clark married Maggie Sharp and resides near Chambersburg. Martha Lynn Clark married William A. McCulloch and lives near Newville. Mary A. Clark married Samuel Sharp and resides near Newville. Andrew Mitchell Clark, the youngest child of Robert and Mary Alexander Clark, died unmarried at the residence of his brother James in 1858, aged 58 years.