Georgia: Wilkes County: Biography of Governor John Clark ==================================================================== 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 profit or 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. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store this file permanently for free access. This file was contributed by: Barbara Walker Winge barbarawinge@yahoo.com ==================================================================== ST. ANDREWS BAY NEWS St. Andrews, Florida April 3, 1923 JOHN CLARK Colonial Scout at 14 Years of Age. Lieutenant and Captain at 16. Brigadier General. Major General. Twice Governor of Georgia. (The removal of the Clark monument and marble slab covering the graves of his grand-children, and search for the remains of the governor and wife and grand-children, which took place on Monday of this week, under the susprices of the D. A. R., of Georgia, represented by Mrs. W. B. Smith, of Ft. Valley, Ga., has caused us to reprint an article written and published 15 years ago, in the Pilot, giving a brief account of the Governor, and his family life, here with the cause of his death, etc. In another column will be found an account taken from the St. Andrews News, of the work done in removing the remains and monument.) Under the darkening shade of aged cedars and ordorous bays, on the bluff at "Old Town," St. Andrews Bay, Florida, in the back yard of a summer cottage, choked with weeds and shrubbery, stands the marble shaft shown in our picture, marking the burial place of one of Georgia's most distinguished citizens, ex-Governor John Clark. Three-quarters of a century has passed since the affection of a loving son and daughter caused this white marble memorial to be erected over the graves of a father and mother who had in life so idolized them; and in spite of nature's resistless energy in this subtropical land, the ravages of a civil war, the neglect by the people of his own and adopted State, this monument still remains in a perfect state of preservation, a silent witness to one man's greatness, and of many men's neglect. The inscription on the monument are as follows:... John Clark was the oldest son of Elijah Clark. He was born in North Carolina, Feburary 28th, 1766. He had two brothers and three sisters, namely; Gibson, who was one of the first graduates of the University of Georgia; Elijah, Jr., who was a lawyer, and at one time a candidate for congress; Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Walton and Mrs. Benjamin Smith. It is stated that all the children were given a good education except John, who by reason of the Revolution was deprived of it. The family moved from North Carolina to Georgia in 1774, his father, soon becoming a captain of militia. He advanced through intermediate positions, reaching that of Brigadier General toward the close of the war. At the age of 14 John, or "Jack" so he was called by his friends, was attending school in Wake county, North Carolina, but a scouting party being raised in that section to go against the Tories, the patriot boy left his school and joined them. From that time on he was almost constantly in service. He fought at the battle of August under his father, Brig. Gen. Clark. His courage and activity soon won for him the rank of lieutenant, to which position he was appointed at the age of 16, and soon after he was made a captain of militia. Retired Georgia Governor John Clark fought in the American Revolution. He became a lieutenant at the age of sixteen and rose to the rank of Major General of the State Militia. Those who knew Clark considered him a brave, strong-willed patriot who was not afraid to take a stand or fight for what he believed. He was elected governor of Georgia in 1819 and re-elected in 1821. In his day and for scores of years after his death, Clark remained a legendary hero, admired by the people of his state. Like most, Clark had his faults and enemies. He engaged in duels, one of which was with Secretary of the U. S. Treasury William H. Crawford, whom he maimed. Clark made one of his lifelong enemies at an early age. He was in love with a Miss Shivers, an orphan girl. She was the sister-in-law of Jesse Mercer, the famous Baptist minister and founder of Mercer University. Clark enticed her to elope with him one bitterly cold winter afternoon. Together the two rode horseback for hours over the snow and sleet in search of a preacher. When the girl became ill in the icy cold, Clark stopped at a friend’s so she could get warm. Miss Shivers died that night from pneumonia. Mercer never forgave Clark for the young woman’s death. A bitter hatred developed between the two that lasted as long as they lived. Clark’s political career was sullied by his attempt to build his own country in Georgia. In what was known as the Trans-Oconee Republic, Clark and others attempted to establish a separate and independent government, an activity forbidden by the government of Georgia. When Clark lost his reelection campaign for governor, he left Georgia and moved his family and slaves to St. Andrew Bay. Andrew Jackson appointed him KEEPER OF THE PUBLIC FOREST. This lucrative job entrusted Clark with protecting the live oak forests along the Gulf Coast for the U. S. Navy, which used the lumber extensively for shipbuilding. Clark built a huge, sixty-foot pine log home with large fireplaces at each end near what is now the corner of Frankford Avenue and Beach Drive. He also operated a plantation near Moccasin Creek in the Econfina settlement. But Clark enjoyed the beauty of the bay for only a few years. According to legend, he contracted yellow fever on a trip to New Orleans in 1832. However, his obituary stated that he was attacked with “bilious fever” on St. Vincent Island “while getting live oak timber” and taken home to St. Andrews Bay in a small boat. Ref: With permission of the author: Womack, Marlene, ALONG THE BAY, 1994, Pictorial Heritage Publishing Company, 5659 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia 23502, p. 20. (Submitted by Barbara Walker Winge, barbarawinge@yahoo.com)