Stewart County Georgia Bio of John T. Clark 1834 - 1889 Submitted by Charlene Parker Sep 2002 ****************************************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profitor for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. ****************************************************************************************** From "History of Bethel Association Including Centennial Meeting", by Alexander Lee Miller JOHN T. CLARK 1834-1889 John T. Clark was born in Putnam County, January 12, 1834. His father, James Clark was a prominent and wealthy Baptist lawyer and planter. His mother was Miss Permelia P. Wellborn. She was very pious and was diligent in training her son, John T. Clark. He moved to Lumpkin in 1837 at the age of three years, and at five began to attend school regularly and each morning read a chapter in the Bible. He attended school at Lumpkin until he was fifteen, when, during a Revival Meeting in 1849 he made a public confession and joined the church and was baptized by Rev. Carlos W. Stevens, in a mill pond on a cold January morning. From that date he was an active member of the church. He attended Columbian College in 1849 and 1850. He then entered the Sophomore class of Mercer University, Penfield, in 1850, graduating in 1853, sharing the first honor with J. H. Kilpatrick and Henry T. Wimberly. He studied law in Columbus under his uncle, Marshall J. Wellborn, who had been a distinguished Judge and member of Congress, and was admitted to the bar in 1854. He was married on the 2nd of May 1855 to Miss Laura T. Fort of Stewart County, and in 1856 entered into a law partnership with his father at Lumpkin and there remained until the fall of 1858, when he gave up his partnership, began to preach and was ordained August 8, 1858 at the call of the Lumpkin Church. In January 1859 he took charge of the Second Baptist Church of Atlanta as pastor, and for three years was pastor of that church. He retired to the farm of his mother-in-law of Stewart County and remained there until 1863. There he conducted a Sabbath School and preached. His retirement was caused on account of a disease in his throat which prevented him from speaking. Governor Brown in 1863 appointed him Judge of the Superior Court of the Pataula Circuit. He was elected again for that place in 1867 for a term of four years. During the military administration of General Pope and General Meade in Georgia, various orders were issued by them interfering with the organization conduct and functions of the court. Among other things it was ordered that no one should be allowed to sit upon any jury without first making and filing an affidavit that he had duly registered as a voter under the reconstruction act of Congress, and that the jury boxes should be revised by throwing out the names of all unregistered voters, and putting in all the names of all registered voters. By this order a large portion of our best citizens would have been disqualified from jury duty, and all freedmen, "ignorant through their previous condition of servitude," (negroes) and corrupt through the malign influence exerted over them by Northern adventurers, would have been put on the jury. Judge Clark continued to draw his jury from the old boxes and in every court, openly refused to allow the registration or non-registration of a juror to be brought before him, and in a case brought before him, decided that such orders were unconstitutional and of no legal effect. Although General Meade sent a Lieutenant Colonel to warn Judge Clark of the consequences of his course, he continued as before and he replied that as long as he acted in the capacity of Judge he would be a Georgia Judge, and enforce the law in that capacity, and no law except the valid law of the land, and that in citing the law he should act freely. Finally General Meade issued an order in March 1858 declaring that any civil officer who should fail or refuse to recognize and enforce any order of his respecting the official function of such office should be tried before a military commission, and punished by fine or imprisonment or both at their discretion. The new constitution had not been adopted by Georgia which contained the provisions above stated and Judge Clark finding himself at the mercy of General Meade and the obnoxious order No. 37, passed an order adjourning Early and Miller Court on the ground that the illegal, unconstitutional, oppressive and dangerous orders of General Meade deprived the court of the freedom to act according to the Judge's conviction of the laws affecting the rights of parties. This order found its way into the public prints, and General Meade issued a special order, dated April 21, 1868 which was forwarded to Judge Clark a few days later removing him from office. Yielding to lawlessness and overpowering violence, the Judge desisted from the exercise from his official function without, however, resigning his position. He resumed the practice of law in Cuthbert where he resided until his death and was widely known for his sound advice and good counsel. He was honored by other civil appointments. He was many years a Trustee of Bethel Female College and also of Mercer University. In 1878 and 1879 he represented the 11th Senatorial District of Georgia. He was Moderator of the Bethel Association for two years, 1886 and 1887. The Association met in 1886 in Morgan and in 1887 at Benevolence. It was largely through active effort of Judge Clark that Mercer University was moved from Penfield to Macon, Georgia. He was a broad, accurate and profound scholar. He possessed both the passive and active graces of Christianity, and it is said of him that he had the spirit of Paul and the thoughtful, gentle spirit of John blended and united in him. Notwithstanding his extraordinary abilities and superior advantages, he was in his feeling and actions kind and generous. He was one of the great preachers of Georgia and the day before his death, he preached two sermons in the Cuthbert Baptist Church with an unction of spirit seldom realized and with great ability. He was generous in the support of his church and could always be depended upon for any duty for which he was called upon, or any service that he might render. Brother Clark was killed by a train at Smithville, Georgia on Monday, July 25, 1889. following notes added by Debra Crosby 1850 Stewart County Georgia Federal Census Lumpkin page 93 741/749 James Clark 50 m farmer 14,000 Ga Permelia 38 f Ga John 16 m student Ga Marshall 11 m Ga Amelia 9 f Ga Alice 7 f Ga Emma 3 f Ga Emer S. 15 f Ga Georgia Marriages Putnam County Clark, James - Welbourn, Elizabeth 31 Oct 1825