CUYAHOGA COUNTY OHIO - BIO: CLARK, James (1894) *********************************************************************** OHGENWEB NOTICE: All distribution rights to this electronic data are reserved by the submitter. Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted material will require the permission of the copyright owner. *********************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Elizabeth Corethers wordsmith@grrtech.com September 6, 1999 *********************************************************************** From "Memorial Record of the County of Cuyahoga and City of Cleveland Ohio." Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1894. James H. Clark, of Cleveland, was born in England, in 1832, a son of Robert and Eliza (Neat) Clark, natives of Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England, the former born in 1802, and the latter in 1803. They were brought to Cleveland, Ohio, by our subject and his brother in 1860. The father followed agricultural pursuits. Both he and his wife were members of the established Church of England. Mr. Clark died in 1887, at the age of 85 years, and his wife survived until 1890, dying at the age of 87 years. They were the parents of ten children, namely: Charles, M.B., Alfred and Eliza, deceased; Alfred; James H., the subject of this sketch; Eliza, now Mrs. Miller and resides in California; Fanny, now Mrs. Reynolds of this city, whose husband is a State Senator; William T., of Cleveland, and Worthy, of Chardon, this State. James H. came to America in 1852, locating in this city and began the oil business on a small scale in 1862. He has continued that occupation through his career of business life. His first partners in the business were John D. Rosafellow [sic] and Samuel Andrews, and his brothers M.B. and Richard are members of the firm of Andrews, Clark and Company. The firm was later knows as Clark Brothers and Company, consisting of Richard Clark (now deceased), Worthy Clark and H.W. Payne, but no relation of Colonel Payne. Colonel Payne subsequently became a member of the firm, which was then known as Clark, Payne and Company. In 1872 the firm consolidated with the Standard Oil Company, but of which organization he took no active part. In 1879 the partnership of Clark, Childs & Company was organized, which was later merged into Clark Brothers & Company, consisting of the same members as before with the exception of a son of our subject. The business was bought by the Standard Oil Company i!n 1886. Since then Mr. Clark has been in no active business. He has had a large and varied experience in the oil business, in which he still owns large interests. He was engaged in that occupation before the days of cars, when the oil was moved by "pond-floods." In addition to his other interests, Mr. Clark was also formerly engaged in the hardware and copper ore business. He handled masses of copper which weighed from seven to nine tons, and which would render from eighty to ninety percent of pure copper. It was mined from the National and Cliff mines of Lake Superior. In 1867 he bought 18 acres of land on Cedar street in East Cleveland for a home for his parents. This property has proved a splended investment, being located in one of the most beautiful parts of the city. The parents had a happy home there for many years, and celebrated their golden wedding in 1872, and kept up the celebrating for 13 years annually. The streets Harriet and Eliza were laid out on this tract of land, the latter named in honor of Mr. Clark's mother, and the former for his wife Harriet. James street, named in honor of himself, had to be changed as there was one in another part of the city of that name. Mr. Clark has invested in many enterprises in the city, and has been very successful in all his ventures, which is due to his good energy and good business sagacity. Both as a business man and citizen he is widely and favorably known for his energy, generosity, uprightness, enterprise and public spirit. In 1855 Mr. Clark was united in marriage with Miss Harriet Lancaster, a daughter of William Lancaster of Cleveland. They have had seven children, viz.: William E., who married a Miss [Mary] Foljambe and resides in this city; Charles A., a resident of Elyria, married Miss Landon; James H., of Cleveland, married a Miss [Louise S.] Clark, but no relative; Wallace N., of this city, has just returned from Germany, where he was pursuing a course on chemistry; and Hattie and Jennie, twins, the former the wife of Dr. [Theodore] Foljambe of this city, and the latter the wife of G. W. Geuder. The wife and mother died in March, 1892, at the age of sixty years. Notes: Fanny Reynolds's husband was never a state senator; he was a fire station captain in Cleveland. James married Euretta Smith on 11 April 1894 and they had one child, Oliver Henry Clark, b. 26 Jul 1895 and died 24 Apr 1964, who never married. Euretta had worked as a domestic in the Clark household for many years; she appears there in the 1870 census. James and both his wives are buried in Woodland Cemetery, as is his brother Richard, sister Fanny and both her husbands, parents Robert and Eliza, son Oliver, son William E. and Richard's wife Adelaide. Wallace N., James's son, was married to Belle and living in Cleveland in the 1900 census. *************OH-FOOTSTEPS Mailing List*******************************