James B. Clark Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1416-1417 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	JAMES B. CLARK, member of the firm of Clark & Sparling, dealers in 
general merchandise in Gettysburg, was born on a farm in Harrison 
county, Ohio, on the 1st of December, 1846, being a son of Joseph and 
Sarah (Dunlap) Clark, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania, while both 
died in Ohio, where the father gave his attention to agricultural 
pursuits until the time of his demise. His grandfather was of English 
lineage and came to America prior to the war of the Revolution, in which 
he served as a loyal soldier in the Continental line. 

	The subject was reared on the homestead farm and was afforded the 
advantages of the common schools. He continued to be associated in the 
work and management of the home farm until 1878, when he removed to 
Nebraska, becoming a pioneer farmer of Pawnee county, where he remained 
until April, 1883, when he came to South Dakota to repeat his pioneer 
experiences in Potter county. He filed entry on one hundred and sixty 
acres of government land, twelve miles southwest of the present 
attractive village of Gettysburg, and there improved a valuable farm, on 
which he was actively engaged in diversified agriculture and stock 
raising until 1890, when he was elected to the office of register of 
deeds, while at the expiration of his term he was re-elected as his own 
successor, thus serving four consecutive years and giving a most 
acceptable administration. Upon retiring from office he established 
himself in the general merchandise business in Gettysburg, and has ever 
since been prominently and successfully identified with this line of 
enterprise. He continued the business individually until March, 1903, 
when he admitted John E. Sparling to partnership, under the firm name 
indicated in the opening paragraph of this sketch, Mr. Sparling being 
the husband of his eldest daughter and the subject of a personal sketch 
on another page of this work. In politics Mr. Clark is a staunch 
adherent of the Republican party; and fraternally he is identified with 
the Masonic order, in which he has attained the thirty-second degree of 
the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, being affiliated with Aberdeen 
Consistory. 

	On the 26th of April, 1876, Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss 
Mary J. Jameson, who was born and reared in Harrison county, Ohio, being 
a daughter of William and Sarah Jameson, and they are the parents of 
three daughters, namely: Maud C., who is the wife of John E. Sparling, 
associated in business with the subject; Nellie, who is a clerical 
employe in the Potter County Bank, of which her father is a stockholder; 
and Elizabeth who is at the time of this writing assistant principal of 
the public schools at Redfield, Spink county.