+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Click the PHOTO tab above to view all images and obituary of Edwin E. Clark.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EDWIN E. CLARK ~ The Father of Melrose
Edwin Everett Clark was born on February 25, 1834 in Bridgewater, in the county of Grafton in New Hampshire. He was the 4th of seven children born to Rev John Clark and Abigail (Mitchell) Clark.
Rev John and Abigail Clark's children are:
- Emily [26 Jun 1827 - 12 Aug 1877]
- Robert M [22 Feb 1829 - 3 Jun 1833]
- Richard B [b. 29 Nov 1830]
- Edwin [b. 25 Feb 1834 - 27 Apr 1922]
- Martha A [b. 19 Jun 1837]
- John M [b. 22 Jan 1840]
- George W [19 Feb 1845 - 3 Aug 1864]
In May 1857, after a few years as a printing apprentice in Boston, Edwin left his parents & siblings in New England and traveled by train and boat with his destination being the Minnesota Territory. He set foot on the shores of the Mississippi River on May 23, 1857. After a short visit with his cousin in Mazeppa, Wabasha County, Minnesota, he took the steamboat up river to St. Anthony, near the falls with the same name. (St. Anthony would become part of the city of Minneapolis, Hennenpin County, in 1872)
When Clark arrived, Minnesota was still a territory. The following year, on May 11, 1858, Minnesota would become the 32nd state in the United States.
On Sunday, January 1, 1860, Edwin Clark married Miss Ellen "Nellie" Rowe at the home of their friends, Mr & Mrs Cook, in Minneapolis. Edwin & Nellie would have six children: Everett, Herbert, Mabelle, John G, Rowe and Walter.
First Daily Newspaper
Clark soon found a business partner, William A. Croffut, and they purchased the weekly Minnesota Republican and also began publishing the Falls Evening News. This was the first daily newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Capitol Clerk
In November 1863, Clark accepted a clerkship in the United States House of Representatives, bestowed on him by Ignatius Donnelly - the former Lt Governor of Minnesota who had become a U.S. Representative. Clark served in this position for the term of December 1863 to April 1865.
On Wednesday, April 12, 1865, two days before he was assassinated, President Abe Lincoln appointed Edwin Clark to be the agent for the Winnebago and Ojibwe Indian tribes in Minnesota and Dakota. This new position required the Clarks relocate to the Chippewa Agency near Crow Wing, Minnesota. While stationed there, a new building was constructed to house the agency.
The new appointment also came with the new title: "Major." Friends would occasionally call him "Major" and he would proudly carry this title for the rest of his life.
On his return journey to Minnesota, Clark heard the news of President Abraham Lincoln's death. Soon after hearing this, Edwin Clark returned to Washington D.C. and was able to view Lincoln's body as he lay in state in the nation's Capitol rotunda.
Clark was removed from office in May 1867 by President Andrew Johnson. This action was most likely in retaliation for Clark's decision to ignore the President's request that he donate $60.00 to the President's re-election campaign.
Many years later, Everett E. Clark, Edwin's son, donated the document signed by President Lincoln on April 12, 1865 to the Minnesota History Museum in St. Paul, Minn.
Clarks Settle in Stearns County
Soon after, Edwin Clark, his family and his first cousin, William H Clark, journeyed to a small Minnesota settlement in central Minnesota - approximately 100 miles west of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
In western Stearns County they found the village of Melrose, Minnesota - small collection of log cabins along with a post office, flour mill along the banks of the Sauk River and a few other structures. It may have been more primitive if compared to the standards of the larger, more modern & growing Twin Cities. But the Clarks knew there new community wasn't any more primitive than their previous address in Leech Lake.
Edwin Clark and William H. Clark immediately set their plans to grow and prosper into action, including to: built (or improve upon) the Sauk River Dam that would generate the power needed to run their new grist mill and cooper shop; establish the first retail stores in town - which were located on Main Street in the Clark's new block of brick buildings; and they would support others efforts to build a hotel....which was built with lumber purchased at the Clark Lumberyard of Melrose.
In 1872 the Clarks paid to have the town legally plotted. This would ensure Melrose would continue to grow - in size, organization and of course, financially. The Clarks also gave half of the town site to the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad as an incentive for running a branch line through Melrose and for the railroad to establish a roundhouse in the town. This meant the railroad would leave its regional headquarters in St. Cloud and relocate to Melrose.
By 1887, Melrose had been a village for 16 years and a community of white settlers for 23 years. On February 9, 1887 Melrose officially became a city – a prestigious title in a county in which only 3 communities can claim the official title of "city." (the 3 cities are St. Cloud, Sauk Centre and Melrose). The tallies from the election show that the voting residents of Melrose were 125 for, 65 against.
If the Father of Melrose were to return to Melrose, Minnesota today, he would discover the dam on the Sauk River that he built in 1867 was repaired several times and finally replaced with new dam in the 1970s. The Clark Flour Mill was converted to a brewery; then an egg drying plant, and in 1943, the building was purchased by Kraft Foods, where they produce cheddar & blue cheese to sell to customers around the world. Kraft operated the cheese plant until it was totally destroyed by fire in January 1989.
Clark would also find the his brick buildings on the 400th block of Main Street is no longer standing. In September 2016, the west end of Clark's Brick Block was destroyed by fire. The buildings in the center of the block remain in place.
If he were to have returned to Melrose in 2010, Edwin Clark would find a city of approximately 3,600 people...and nearly 70% of the population is German; and just like when he resided in Melrose, most of the Germans are Catholic.
That's Depressing
In 1893, the entire country fell into an economic depression, and Melrose felt the impact as well. Edwin Clark was the one that gained the most from the growth of Melrose but he was also the one that lost the most during this depression. These years were not only economically painful for Clark but a period that was personally painful too.
In September 1893, Abby Clark, the wife of William H Clark, passed away. Just 5 months later, in February 1894, Edwin's first cousin & long-time business partner, William H. Clark, also passed away. Both Abby and W.H. Clark are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Melrose, Minn.
In November 1893 Edwin, Nellie, their two sons & daughter left Melrose and moved to 3041 Harriet Ave S in Minneapolis, Minn. The Ard Godfrey family were their neighbors in 3045 Harriet Ave. S.
At this time, Clark earned an income as an insurance agent. The people of the area around the Falls of St. Anthony still remembered & respected Clark, including the fact that in 1857 he was the publisher of the first daily newspaper in Minnesota.
The following year, 1894, Clark lost most of his business enterprises and was forced to sell his property & businesses, most of which were located in Stearns County and specifically, Melrose, Minn. His financial disaster was only made worse when his wife, Ellen Rowe Clark, died on July 8, 1894. All of these tragic events marked not only a loss to Clark & his family but to the communities of Minneapolis and Melrose.
A Trip Home
Over the July 4th holiday in 1917, Edwin Clark returned to Melrose for a visit with some of his life-long friends and to see the city he would be associated with for eternity. It had been seven years since his last visit and he was pleased with the continued growth and improvements he saw around town.
During his stay at the home of Lucinda Ulmer, he expressed how he wished he could have remained in Melrose the rest of his life but the financial depression in the 1890s didn't allow for his personal wishes.
Great Historical Foresight
Being a man that understood the importance of history and the valuable lessons he learned throughout his life, Edwin E. Clark began a campaign to save the first house / residence built in Minneapolis, Minn. The first home was built by millwright Ard Godfrey in 1849 in a Greek Revival style. The house was originally construction near Main Street Southeast (near today's merchants at St. Anthony Main). The Godfrey family remained in this house until 1853 when they moved to a house near Minnehaha Park in south Minneapolis.
Clark was strongly politicking for any local organization to rescue this 1849 structure. His primary motive for taking on the task of preserving the Ard Godfrey house wasn't only because that is where Clark hung his personal 'Home Sweet Home' sign, but primarily because he knew of this structure's significance in the city's history.
In 1905, Clark's effort started to produce positive results. The Territorial Pioneers Associations of Minnesota and Hennepin County was officially created and the organization purchased the Ard Godfrey House.
In 1914 the Pioneers Association established the Ard Godfrey House as a museum. Clark and his son Walter became the live-in curators the of the museum and its collection of pioneer relics. The Minneapolis Park Board and Pioneer Association cut funding for the museum in 1943 and the house was boarded up and the structure deteriorated with each passing year.
After thirty-two years of being ignored and in a delapitated state, the Women's Club of Minneapolis purchased the house in 1975 and gifted it back to the city. With the support of the city and the Women's Club, the oldest house in Minneapolis was restored & opened to the public in 1979. Today the Women's Club continues to offer free tours of the Ard Godfrey House.
The free tours of the Godfrey House and the online listing of Historical Structures in Minneapolis, MN would not be possible today if not for the effort of the first historical preservation supporter - Edwin E. Clark.
Edwin Clark continued to live in the Ard Godfrey House in Minneapolis, Minn until his death on April 27, 1922 at the Godfrey House. He died without monetary wealth and was buried in an unmarked grave in the pauper section of Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minn.
It was only in the early 1990s, through efforts made by their descendants and the leaders of the Melrose Historical Society, that grave markers were purchased & placed on Edwin & Ellen Clarks final resting place in Lakewood Cemetery.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE CLARK FAMILY FACTS
Edwin Clark married Ellen F. (Nellie) Rowe on January 1, 1860 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The couple had six children: Everett, Herbert, Mabelle, John G., Rowe, and Walter.
Ellen F. Rowe was born in 1836 in Belknap County, New Hampshire to Morrison and Sally (James) Rowe. She died on July 8, 1894, a few months after the couple left Melrose to return to the Twin Cities. She was 58 years old. A link to her Find A Grave memorial record is below.
THE SIX CLARK CHILDREN
The children of Edwin E and Nellie (Rowe) Clark are:
- Everett E. Clark was born in 1862 in New Hampshire. He married Edith Ulmer, daughter of Sears and Lucinda Ulmer of Melrose.
- Herbert Clark was also born in New Hampshire in June 1864 but died in 1865.
- Mabelle E Clark was born in Crow Wing County, Minnesota on April 1, 1867 while the family resided near Leach Lake, Minn. She attended Bennett Seminary / Boarding School in St. Paul, Minn. Mabelle Clark returned to Melrose and on July 22, 1893, married Dawes How of the same city. (Stearns Marriage Cert: 29754000) Mabelle Clark How** died on November 29, 1956 in Ramsey County, Minn. (Death Cert: 1956-MN-029363). She and husband Dawes are buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Maplewood, Minnesota.
- Dawes How owned a hardware store in the "Brick Block" built by Edwin Clark. Dawes Howe died in Ramsey County on April 28, 1925. (Death Cert: 1925-MN-023825) Location of burial unknown.
- John George Clark and Rowe Clark were born in Melrose, Stearns, Minn. Unfortunately both died in childhood. John G died August 27, 1870 at the age of 7 months and 8 days.
- Walter Clark was born in 1880 in Melrose. His whole life, from birth to death, Walter was legally blind. After the Clark's moved back to Minneapolis, Walter lived with his father until his death in 1922. Walter then moved in with his sister Mabelle Howe, then with a companion and finally, a nursing home.
CLARK GRAND-CHILDREN
- Helen Clark is the daughter of Everett and Edith (Ulmer) Clark.
- Everett & Edith Clark son, Harry E. Clark, died during WW I and is buried next to his parents in Roselawn Cemetery, Roseville, Ramsey County, Minn.
- Lucy Mabelle How is the daughter of Dawes and Mabelle (Clark) How
CLARK COUSINS
- Edwin Clark's first cousin and business partner in Melrose, William H Clark, was born in 1822 to Joseph and Hannah (Cook) Clark. Wm H Clark died on February 6, 1894. His wife, Abby Clark, was born in 1828 and died Sept 1893, five months before her husband. Both are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Melrose, Minn.
- William Evans Clark and Levin Clark are the sons of William H and Abby Clark.
- Benjamin Clark is brother of William H Clark - and another of Edwin Clark's first cousins. Benjamin Clark was born in New England to Joseph and Hannah (Cook) Clark. Benjamin and his wife Emma left New England and move to Melrose, Minn around 1862 where Benjamin Clark was the manager of the flour mill & dam on the Sauk River.
EPILOGUE
Edwin E Clark, age 88, died Thursday, April 27, 1922 at the Ard Godfrey House in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota - across the road from today's St. Anthony Main - 28 years after his wife Ellen. His funeral and burial took place on Monday, May 1, 1922.
Edwin E. and Ellen F. Clark are buried next to each other in Section PG21, Row 95, Plots 30 & 31 of Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minn.
In the 1990s, the Melrose Historical Society in cooperation with several members of the Clark family, placed gravestones on the grave of Edwin E Clark that matched Ellen Rowe Clark's gravestone.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Online Resources:
-Minnesota Historical Society
-Melrose Area Chamber of Commerce
-Melrose Historical Society
-Women's Club of Minneapolis - Ard Godfrey House
Paper Resources:
-Edwin Clark, The Father of Melrose, Melrose Area Historical Society, Jean Paschke, 2000
-The Mel and the Rose, Msgr. Vincent Yzermans, OSB, 1972
-The History of Stearns County Minnesota, William Bell Mitchell, 1915
-Melrose Beacon, July 5, 1917 page 1; May 4, 1922 page 1
-Death of John G Clark, Minneapolis Daily Tribune, August 30, 1870, page 1
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
** Last Name HOW - the last name may be spelled Howe or How. Several references show these variations in spelling. The marriage cert is spelled "Howe" but Mabelle's 1953 death cert and grave marker are spelled "How"
Click the PHOTO tab above to view all images and obituary of Edwin E. Clark.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EDWIN E. CLARK ~ The Father of Melrose
Edwin Everett Clark was born on February 25, 1834 in Bridgewater, in the county of Grafton in New Hampshire. He was the 4th of seven children born to Rev John Clark and Abigail (Mitchell) Clark.
Rev John and Abigail Clark's children are:
- Emily [26 Jun 1827 - 12 Aug 1877]
- Robert M [22 Feb 1829 - 3 Jun 1833]
- Richard B [b. 29 Nov 1830]
- Edwin [b. 25 Feb 1834 - 27 Apr 1922]
- Martha A [b. 19 Jun 1837]
- John M [b. 22 Jan 1840]
- George W [19 Feb 1845 - 3 Aug 1864]
In May 1857, after a few years as a printing apprentice in Boston, Edwin left his parents & siblings in New England and traveled by train and boat with his destination being the Minnesota Territory. He set foot on the shores of the Mississippi River on May 23, 1857. After a short visit with his cousin in Mazeppa, Wabasha County, Minnesota, he took the steamboat up river to St. Anthony, near the falls with the same name. (St. Anthony would become part of the city of Minneapolis, Hennenpin County, in 1872)
When Clark arrived, Minnesota was still a territory. The following year, on May 11, 1858, Minnesota would become the 32nd state in the United States.
On Sunday, January 1, 1860, Edwin Clark married Miss Ellen "Nellie" Rowe at the home of their friends, Mr & Mrs Cook, in Minneapolis. Edwin & Nellie would have six children: Everett, Herbert, Mabelle, John G, Rowe and Walter.
First Daily Newspaper
Clark soon found a business partner, William A. Croffut, and they purchased the weekly Minnesota Republican and also began publishing the Falls Evening News. This was the first daily newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Capitol Clerk
In November 1863, Clark accepted a clerkship in the United States House of Representatives, bestowed on him by Ignatius Donnelly - the former Lt Governor of Minnesota who had become a U.S. Representative. Clark served in this position for the term of December 1863 to April 1865.
On Wednesday, April 12, 1865, two days before he was assassinated, President Abe Lincoln appointed Edwin Clark to be the agent for the Winnebago and Ojibwe Indian tribes in Minnesota and Dakota. This new position required the Clarks relocate to the Chippewa Agency near Crow Wing, Minnesota. While stationed there, a new building was constructed to house the agency.
The new appointment also came with the new title: "Major." Friends would occasionally call him "Major" and he would proudly carry this title for the rest of his life.
On his return journey to Minnesota, Clark heard the news of President Abraham Lincoln's death. Soon after hearing this, Edwin Clark returned to Washington D.C. and was able to view Lincoln's body as he lay in state in the nation's Capitol rotunda.
Clark was removed from office in May 1867 by President Andrew Johnson. This action was most likely in retaliation for Clark's decision to ignore the President's request that he donate $60.00 to the President's re-election campaign.
Many years later, Everett E. Clark, Edwin's son, donated the document signed by President Lincoln on April 12, 1865 to the Minnesota History Museum in St. Paul, Minn.
Clarks Settle in Stearns County
Soon after, Edwin Clark, his family and his first cousin, William H Clark, journeyed to a small Minnesota settlement in central Minnesota - approximately 100 miles west of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
In western Stearns County they found the village of Melrose, Minnesota - small collection of log cabins along with a post office, flour mill along the banks of the Sauk River and a few other structures. It may have been more primitive if compared to the standards of the larger, more modern & growing Twin Cities. But the Clarks knew there new community wasn't any more primitive than their previous address in Leech Lake.
Edwin Clark and William H. Clark immediately set their plans to grow and prosper into action, including to: built (or improve upon) the Sauk River Dam that would generate the power needed to run their new grist mill and cooper shop; establish the first retail stores in town - which were located on Main Street in the Clark's new block of brick buildings; and they would support others efforts to build a hotel....which was built with lumber purchased at the Clark Lumberyard of Melrose.
In 1872 the Clarks paid to have the town legally plotted. This would ensure Melrose would continue to grow - in size, organization and of course, financially. The Clarks also gave half of the town site to the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad as an incentive for running a branch line through Melrose and for the railroad to establish a roundhouse in the town. This meant the railroad would leave its regional headquarters in St. Cloud and relocate to Melrose.
By 1887, Melrose had been a village for 16 years and a community of white settlers for 23 years. On February 9, 1887 Melrose officially became a city – a prestigious title in a county in which only 3 communities can claim the official title of "city." (the 3 cities are St. Cloud, Sauk Centre and Melrose). The tallies from the election show that the voting residents of Melrose were 125 for, 65 against.
If the Father of Melrose were to return to Melrose, Minnesota today, he would discover the dam on the Sauk River that he built in 1867 was repaired several times and finally replaced with new dam in the 1970s. The Clark Flour Mill was converted to a brewery; then an egg drying plant, and in 1943, the building was purchased by Kraft Foods, where they produce cheddar & blue cheese to sell to customers around the world. Kraft operated the cheese plant until it was totally destroyed by fire in January 1989.
Clark would also find the his brick buildings on the 400th block of Main Street is no longer standing. In September 2016, the west end of Clark's Brick Block was destroyed by fire. The buildings in the center of the block remain in place.
If he were to have returned to Melrose in 2010, Edwin Clark would find a city of approximately 3,600 people...and nearly 70% of the population is German; and just like when he resided in Melrose, most of the Germans are Catholic.
That's Depressing
In 1893, the entire country fell into an economic depression, and Melrose felt the impact as well. Edwin Clark was the one that gained the most from the growth of Melrose but he was also the one that lost the most during this depression. These years were not only economically painful for Clark but a period that was personally painful too.
In September 1893, Abby Clark, the wife of William H Clark, passed away. Just 5 months later, in February 1894, Edwin's first cousin & long-time business partner, William H. Clark, also passed away. Both Abby and W.H. Clark are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Melrose, Minn.
In November 1893 Edwin, Nellie, their two sons & daughter left Melrose and moved to 3041 Harriet Ave S in Minneapolis, Minn. The Ard Godfrey family were their neighbors in 3045 Harriet Ave. S.
At this time, Clark earned an income as an insurance agent. The people of the area around the Falls of St. Anthony still remembered & respected Clark, including the fact that in 1857 he was the publisher of the first daily newspaper in Minnesota.
The following year, 1894, Clark lost most of his business enterprises and was forced to sell his property & businesses, most of which were located in Stearns County and specifically, Melrose, Minn. His financial disaster was only made worse when his wife, Ellen Rowe Clark, died on July 8, 1894. All of these tragic events marked not only a loss to Clark & his family but to the communities of Minneapolis and Melrose.
A Trip Home
Over the July 4th holiday in 1917, Edwin Clark returned to Melrose for a visit with some of his life-long friends and to see the city he would be associated with for eternity. It had been seven years since his last visit and he was pleased with the continued growth and improvements he saw around town.
During his stay at the home of Lucinda Ulmer, he expressed how he wished he could have remained in Melrose the rest of his life but the financial depression in the 1890s didn't allow for his personal wishes.
Great Historical Foresight
Being a man that understood the importance of history and the valuable lessons he learned throughout his life, Edwin E. Clark began a campaign to save the first house / residence built in Minneapolis, Minn. The first home was built by millwright Ard Godfrey in 1849 in a Greek Revival style. The house was originally construction near Main Street Southeast (near today's merchants at St. Anthony Main). The Godfrey family remained in this house until 1853 when they moved to a house near Minnehaha Park in south Minneapolis.
Clark was strongly politicking for any local organization to rescue this 1849 structure. His primary motive for taking on the task of preserving the Ard Godfrey house wasn't only because that is where Clark hung his personal 'Home Sweet Home' sign, but primarily because he knew of this structure's significance in the city's history.
In 1905, Clark's effort started to produce positive results. The Territorial Pioneers Associations of Minnesota and Hennepin County was officially created and the organization purchased the Ard Godfrey House.
In 1914 the Pioneers Association established the Ard Godfrey House as a museum. Clark and his son Walter became the live-in curators the of the museum and its collection of pioneer relics. The Minneapolis Park Board and Pioneer Association cut funding for the museum in 1943 and the house was boarded up and the structure deteriorated with each passing year.
After thirty-two years of being ignored and in a delapitated state, the Women's Club of Minneapolis purchased the house in 1975 and gifted it back to the city. With the support of the city and the Women's Club, the oldest house in Minneapolis was restored & opened to the public in 1979. Today the Women's Club continues to offer free tours of the Ard Godfrey House.
The free tours of the Godfrey House and the online listing of Historical Structures in Minneapolis, MN would not be possible today if not for the effort of the first historical preservation supporter - Edwin E. Clark.
Edwin Clark continued to live in the Ard Godfrey House in Minneapolis, Minn until his death on April 27, 1922 at the Godfrey House. He died without monetary wealth and was buried in an unmarked grave in the pauper section of Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minn.
It was only in the early 1990s, through efforts made by their descendants and the leaders of the Melrose Historical Society, that grave markers were purchased & placed on Edwin & Ellen Clarks final resting place in Lakewood Cemetery.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE CLARK FAMILY FACTS
Edwin Clark married Ellen F. (Nellie) Rowe on January 1, 1860 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The couple had six children: Everett, Herbert, Mabelle, John G., Rowe, and Walter.
Ellen F. Rowe was born in 1836 in Belknap County, New Hampshire to Morrison and Sally (James) Rowe. She died on July 8, 1894, a few months after the couple left Melrose to return to the Twin Cities. She was 58 years old. A link to her Find A Grave memorial record is below.
THE SIX CLARK CHILDREN
The children of Edwin E and Nellie (Rowe) Clark are:
- Everett E. Clark was born in 1862 in New Hampshire. He married Edith Ulmer, daughter of Sears and Lucinda Ulmer of Melrose.
- Herbert Clark was also born in New Hampshire in June 1864 but died in 1865.
- Mabelle E Clark was born in Crow Wing County, Minnesota on April 1, 1867 while the family resided near Leach Lake, Minn. She attended Bennett Seminary / Boarding School in St. Paul, Minn. Mabelle Clark returned to Melrose and on July 22, 1893, married Dawes How of the same city. (Stearns Marriage Cert: 29754000) Mabelle Clark How** died on November 29, 1956 in Ramsey County, Minn. (Death Cert: 1956-MN-029363). She and husband Dawes are buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Maplewood, Minnesota.
- Dawes How owned a hardware store in the "Brick Block" built by Edwin Clark. Dawes Howe died in Ramsey County on April 28, 1925. (Death Cert: 1925-MN-023825) Location of burial unknown.
- John George Clark and Rowe Clark were born in Melrose, Stearns, Minn. Unfortunately both died in childhood. John G died August 27, 1870 at the age of 7 months and 8 days.
- Walter Clark was born in 1880 in Melrose. His whole life, from birth to death, Walter was legally blind. After the Clark's moved back to Minneapolis, Walter lived with his father until his death in 1922. Walter then moved in with his sister Mabelle Howe, then with a companion and finally, a nursing home.
CLARK GRAND-CHILDREN
- Helen Clark is the daughter of Everett and Edith (Ulmer) Clark.
- Everett & Edith Clark son, Harry E. Clark, died during WW I and is buried next to his parents in Roselawn Cemetery, Roseville, Ramsey County, Minn.
- Lucy Mabelle How is the daughter of Dawes and Mabelle (Clark) How
CLARK COUSINS
- Edwin Clark's first cousin and business partner in Melrose, William H Clark, was born in 1822 to Joseph and Hannah (Cook) Clark. Wm H Clark died on February 6, 1894. His wife, Abby Clark, was born in 1828 and died Sept 1893, five months before her husband. Both are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Melrose, Minn.
- William Evans Clark and Levin Clark are the sons of William H and Abby Clark.
- Benjamin Clark is brother of William H Clark - and another of Edwin Clark's first cousins. Benjamin Clark was born in New England to Joseph and Hannah (Cook) Clark. Benjamin and his wife Emma left New England and move to Melrose, Minn around 1862 where Benjamin Clark was the manager of the flour mill & dam on the Sauk River.
EPILOGUE
Edwin E Clark, age 88, died Thursday, April 27, 1922 at the Ard Godfrey House in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota - across the road from today's St. Anthony Main - 28 years after his wife Ellen. His funeral and burial took place on Monday, May 1, 1922.
Edwin E. and Ellen F. Clark are buried next to each other in Section PG21, Row 95, Plots 30 & 31 of Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minn.
In the 1990s, the Melrose Historical Society in cooperation with several members of the Clark family, placed gravestones on the grave of Edwin E Clark that matched Ellen Rowe Clark's gravestone.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Online Resources:
-Minnesota Historical Society
-Melrose Area Chamber of Commerce
-Melrose Historical Society
-Women's Club of Minneapolis - Ard Godfrey House
Paper Resources:
-Edwin Clark, The Father of Melrose, Melrose Area Historical Society, Jean Paschke, 2000
-The Mel and the Rose, Msgr. Vincent Yzermans, OSB, 1972
-The History of Stearns County Minnesota, William Bell Mitchell, 1915
-Melrose Beacon, July 5, 1917 page 1; May 4, 1922 page 1
-Death of John G Clark, Minneapolis Daily Tribune, August 30, 1870, page 1
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
** Last Name HOW - the last name may be spelled Howe or How. Several references show these variations in spelling. The marriage cert is spelled "Howe" but Mabelle's 1953 death cert and grave marker are spelled "How"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Click the PHOTO tab above to view all images and obituary of Edwin E. Clark.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EDWIN E. CLARK ~ The Father of Melrose
Edwin Everett Clark was born on February 25, 1834 in Bridgewater, in the county of Grafton in New Hampshire. He was the 4th of seven children born to Rev John Clark and Abigail (Mitchell) Clark.
Rev John and Abigail Clark's children are:
- Emily [26 Jun 1827 - 12 Aug 1877]
- Robert M [22 Feb 1829 - 3 Jun 1833]
- Richard B [b. 29 Nov 1830]
- Edwin [b. 25 Feb 1834 - 27 Apr 1922]
- Martha A [b. 19 Jun 1837]
- John M [b. 22 Jan 1840]
- George W [19 Feb 1845 - 3 Aug 1864]
In May 1857, after a few years as a printing apprentice in Boston, Edwin left his parents & siblings in New England and traveled by train and boat with his destination being the Minnesota Territory. He set foot on the shores of the Mississippi River on May 23, 1857. After a short visit with his cousin in Mazeppa, Wabasha County, Minnesota, he took the steamboat up river to St. Anthony, near the falls with the same name. (St. Anthony would become part of the city of Minneapolis, Hennenpin County, in 1872)
When Clark arrived, Minnesota was still a territory. The following year, on May 11, 1858, Minnesota would become the 32nd state in the United States.
On Sunday, January 1, 1860, Edwin Clark married Miss Ellen "Nellie" Rowe at the home of their friends, Mr & Mrs Cook, in Minneapolis. Edwin & Nellie would have six children: Everett, Herbert, Mabelle, John G, Rowe and Walter.
First Daily Newspaper
Clark soon found a business partner, William A. Croffut, and they purchased the weekly Minnesota Republican and also began publishing the Falls Evening News. This was the first daily newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Capitol Clerk
In November 1863, Clark accepted a clerkship in the United States House of Representatives, bestowed on him by Ignatius Donnelly - the former Lt Governor of Minnesota who had become a U.S. Representative. Clark served in this position for the term of December 1863 to April 1865.
On Wednesday, April 12, 1865, two days before he was assassinated, President Abe Lincoln appointed Edwin Clark to be the agent for the Winnebago and Ojibwe Indian tribes in Minnesota and Dakota. This new position required the Clarks relocate to the Chippewa Agency near Crow Wing, Minnesota. While stationed there, a new building was constructed to house the agency.
The new appointment also came with the new title: "Major." Friends would occasionally call him "Major" and he would proudly carry this title for the rest of his life.
On his return journey to Minnesota, Clark heard the news of President Abraham Lincoln's death. Soon after hearing this, Edwin Clark returned to Washington D.C. and was able to view Lincoln's body as he lay in state in the nation's Capitol rotunda.
Clark was removed from office in May 1867 by President Andrew Johnson. This action was most likely in retaliation for Clark's decision to ignore the President's request that he donate $60.00 to the President's re-election campaign.
Many years later, Everett E. Clark, Edwin's son, donated the document signed by President Lincoln on April 12, 1865 to the Minnesota History Museum in St. Paul, Minn.
Clarks Settle in Stearns County
Soon after, Edwin Clark, his family and his first cousin, William H Clark, journeyed to a small Minnesota settlement in central Minnesota - approximately 100 miles west of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
In western Stearns County they found the village of Melrose, Minnesota - small collection of log cabins along with a post office, flour mill along the banks of the Sauk River and a few other structures. It may have been more primitive if compared to the standards of the larger, more modern & growing Twin Cities. But the Clarks knew there new community wasn't any more primitive than their previous address in Leech Lake.
Edwin Clark and William H. Clark immediately set their plans to grow and prosper into action, including to: built (or improve upon) the Sauk River Dam that would generate the power needed to run their new grist mill and cooper shop; establish the first retail stores in town - which were located on Main Street in the Clark's new block of brick buildings; and they would support others efforts to build a hotel....which was built with lumber purchased at the Clark Lumberyard of Melrose.
In 1872 the Clarks paid to have the town legally plotted. This would ensure Melrose would continue to grow - in size, organization and of course, financially. The Clarks also gave half of the town site to the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad as an incentive for running a branch line through Melrose and for the railroad to establish a roundhouse in the town. This meant the railroad would leave its regional headquarters in St. Cloud and relocate to Melrose.
By 1887, Melrose had been a village for 16 years and a community of white settlers for 23 years. On February 9, 1887 Melrose officially became a city – a prestigious title in a county in which only 3 communities can claim the official title of "city." (the 3 cities are St. Cloud, Sauk Centre and Melrose). The tallies from the election show that the voting residents of Melrose were 125 for, 65 against.
If the Father of Melrose were to return to Melrose, Minnesota today, he would discover the dam on the Sauk River that he built in 1867 was repaired several times and finally replaced with new dam in the 1970s. The Clark Flour Mill was converted to a brewery; then an egg drying plant, and in 1943, the building was purchased by Kraft Foods, where they produce cheddar & blue cheese to sell to customers around the world. Kraft operated the cheese plant until it was totally destroyed by fire in January 1989.
Clark would also find the his brick buildings on the 400th block of Main Street is no longer standing. In September 2016, the west end of Clark's Brick Block was destroyed by fire. The buildings in the center of the block remain in place.
If he were to have returned to Melrose in 2010, Edwin Clark would find a city of approximately 3,600 people...and nearly 70% of the population is German; and just like when he resided in Melrose, most of the Germans are Catholic.
That's Depressing
In 1893, the entire country fell into an economic depression, and Melrose felt the impact as well. Edwin Clark was the one that gained the most from the growth of Melrose but he was also the one that lost the most during this depression. These years were not only economically painful for Clark but a period that was personally painful too.
In September 1893, Abby Clark, the wife of William H Clark, passed away. Just 5 months later, in February 1894, Edwin's first cousin & long-time business partner, William H. Clark, also passed away. Both Abby and W.H. Clark are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Melrose, Minn.
In November 1893 Edwin, Nellie, their two sons & daughter left Melrose and moved to 3041 Harriet Ave S in Minneapolis, Minn. The Ard Godfrey family were their neighbors in 3045 Harriet Ave. S.
At this time, Clark earned an income as an insurance agent. The people of the area around the Falls of St. Anthony still remembered & respected Clark, including the fact that in 1857 he was the publisher of the first daily newspaper in Minnesota.
The following year, 1894, Clark lost most of his business enterprises and was forced to sell his property & businesses, most of which were located in Stearns County and specifically, Melrose, Minn. His financial disaster was only made worse when his wife, Ellen Rowe Clark, died on July 8, 1894. All of these tragic events marked not only a loss to Clark & his family but to the communities of Minneapolis and Melrose.
A Trip Home
Over the July 4th holiday in 1917, Edwin Clark returned to Melrose for a visit with some of his life-long friends and to see the city he would be associated with for eternity. It had been seven years since his last visit and he was pleased with the continued growth and improvements he saw around town.
During his stay at the home of Lucinda Ulmer, he expressed how he wished he could have remained in Melrose the rest of his life but the financial depression in the 1890s didn't allow for his personal wishes.
Great Historical Foresight
Being a man that understood the importance of history and the valuable lessons he learned throughout his life, Edwin E. Clark began a campaign to save the first house / residence built in Minneapolis, Minn. The first home was built by millwright Ard Godfrey in 1849 in a Greek Revival style. The house was originally construction near Main Street Southeast (near today's merchants at St. Anthony Main). The Godfrey family remained in this house until 1853 when they moved to a house near Minnehaha Park in south Minneapolis.
Clark was strongly politicking for any local organization to rescue this 1849 structure. His primary motive for taking on the task of preserving the Ard Godfrey house wasn't only because that is where Clark hung his personal 'Home Sweet Home' sign, but primarily because he knew of this structure's significance in the city's history.
In 1905, Clark's effort started to produce positive results. The Territorial Pioneers Associations of Minnesota and Hennepin County was officially created and the organization purchased the Ard Godfrey House.
In 1914 the Pioneers Association established the Ard Godfrey House as a museum. Clark and his son Walter became the live-in curators the of the museum and its collection of pioneer relics. The Minneapolis Park Board and Pioneer Association cut funding for the museum in 1943 and the house was boarded up and the structure deteriorated with each passing year.
After thirty-two years of being ignored and in a delapitated state, the Women's Club of Minneapolis purchased the house in 1975 and gifted it back to the city. With the support of the city and the Women's Club, the oldest house in Minneapolis was restored & opened to the public in 1979. Today the Women's Club continues to offer free tours of the Ard Godfrey House.
The free tours of the Godfrey House and the online listing of Historical Structures in Minneapolis, MN would not be possible today if not for the effort of the first historical preservation supporter - Edwin E. Clark.
Edwin Clark continued to live in the Ard Godfrey House in Minneapolis, Minn until his death on April 27, 1922 at the Godfrey House. He died without monetary wealth and was buried in an unmarked grave in the pauper section of Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minn.
It was only in the early 1990s, through efforts made by their descendants and the leaders of the Melrose Historical Society, that grave markers were purchased & placed on Edwin & Ellen Clarks final resting place in Lakewood Cemetery.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE CLARK FAMILY FACTS
Edwin Clark married Ellen F. (Nellie) Rowe on January 1, 1860 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The couple had six children: Everett, Herbert, Mabelle, John G., Rowe, and Walter.
Ellen F. Rowe was born in 1836 in Belknap County, New Hampshire to Morrison and Sally (James) Rowe. She died on July 8, 1894, a few months after the couple left Melrose to return to the Twin Cities. She was 58 years old. A link to her Find A Grave memorial record is below.
THE SIX CLARK CHILDREN
The children of Edwin E and Nellie (Rowe) Clark are:
- Everett E. Clark was born in 1862 in New Hampshire. He married Edith Ulmer, daughter of Sears and Lucinda Ulmer of Melrose.
- Herbert Clark was also born in New Hampshire in June 1864 but died in 1865.
- Mabelle E Clark was born in Crow Wing County, Minnesota on April 1, 1867 while the family resided near Leach Lake, Minn. She attended Bennett Seminary / Boarding School in St. Paul, Minn. Mabelle Clark returned to Melrose and on July 22, 1893, married Dawes How of the same city. (Stearns Marriage Cert: 29754000) Mabelle Clark How** died on November 29, 1956 in Ramsey County, Minn. (Death Cert: 1956-MN-029363). She and husband Dawes are buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Maplewood, Minnesota.
- Dawes How owned a hardware store in the "Brick Block" built by Edwin Clark. Dawes Howe died in Ramsey County on April 28, 1925. (Death Cert: 1925-MN-023825) Location of burial unknown.
- John George Clark and Rowe Clark were born in Melrose, Stearns, Minn. Unfortunately both died in childhood. John G died August 27, 1870 at the age of 7 months and 8 days.
- Walter Clark was born in 1880 in Melrose. His whole life, from birth to death, Walter was legally blind. After the Clark's moved back to Minneapolis, Walter lived with his father until his death in 1922. Walter then moved in with his sister Mabelle Howe, then with a companion and finally, a nursing home.
CLARK GRAND-CHILDREN
- Helen Clark is the daughter of Everett and Edith (Ulmer) Clark.
- Everett & Edith Clark son, Harry E. Clark, died during WW I and is buried next to his parents in Roselawn Cemetery, Roseville, Ramsey County, Minn.
- Lucy Mabelle How is the daughter of Dawes and Mabelle (Clark) How
CLARK COUSINS
- Edwin Clark's first cousin and business partner in Melrose, William H Clark, was born in 1822 to Joseph and Hannah (Cook) Clark. Wm H Clark died on February 6, 1894. His wife, Abby Clark, was born in 1828 and died Sept 1893, five months before her husband. Both are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Melrose, Minn.
- William Evans Clark and Levin Clark are the sons of William H and Abby Clark.
- Benjamin Clark is brother of William H Clark - and another of Edwin Clark's first cousins. Benjamin Clark was born in New England to Joseph and Hannah (Cook) Clark. Benjamin and his wife Emma left New England and move to Melrose, Minn around 1862 where Benjamin Clark was the manager of the flour mill & dam on the Sauk River.
EPILOGUE
Edwin E Clark, age 88, died Thursday, April 27, 1922 at the Ard Godfrey House in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota - across the road from today's St. Anthony Main - 28 years after his wife Ellen. His funeral and burial took place on Monday, May 1, 1922.
Edwin E. and Ellen F. Clark are buried next to each other in Section PG21, Row 95, Plots 30 & 31 of Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minn.
In the 1990s, the Melrose Historical Society in cooperation with several members of the Clark family, placed gravestones on the grave of Edwin E Clark that matched Ellen Rowe Clark's gravestone.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Online Resources:
-Minnesota Historical Society
-Melrose Area Chamber of Commerce
-Melrose Historical Society
-Women's Club of Minneapolis - Ard Godfrey House
Paper Resources:
-Edwin Clark, The Father of Melrose, Melrose Area Historical Society, Jean Paschke, 2000
-The Mel and the Rose, Msgr. Vincent Yzermans, OSB, 1972
-The History of Stearns County Minnesota, William Bell Mitchell, 1915
-Melrose Beacon, July 5, 1917 page 1; May 4, 1922 page 1
-Death of John G Clark, Minneapolis Daily Tribune, August 30, 1870, page 1
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
** Last Name HOW - the last name may be spelled Howe or How. Several references show these variations in spelling. The marriage cert is spelled "Howe" but Mabelle's 1953 death cert and grave marker are spelled "How"
Click the PHOTO tab above to view all images and obituary of Edwin E. Clark.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EDWIN E. CLARK ~ The Father of Melrose
Edwin Everett Clark was born on February 25, 1834 in Bridgewater, in the county of Grafton in New Hampshire. He was the 4th of seven children born to Rev John Clark and Abigail (Mitchell) Clark.
Rev John and Abigail Clark's children are:
- Emily [26 Jun 1827 - 12 Aug 1877]
- Robert M [22 Feb 1829 - 3 Jun 1833]
- Richard B [b. 29 Nov 1830]
- Edwin [b. 25 Feb 1834 - 27 Apr 1922]
- Martha A [b. 19 Jun 1837]
- John M [b. 22 Jan 1840]
- George W [19 Feb 1845 - 3 Aug 1864]
In May 1857, after a few years as a printing apprentice in Boston, Edwin left his parents & siblings in New England and traveled by train and boat with his destination being the Minnesota Territory. He set foot on the shores of the Mississippi River on May 23, 1857. After a short visit with his cousin in Mazeppa, Wabasha County, Minnesota, he took the steamboat up river to St. Anthony, near the falls with the same name. (St. Anthony would become part of the city of Minneapolis, Hennenpin County, in 1872)
When Clark arrived, Minnesota was still a territory. The following year, on May 11, 1858, Minnesota would become the 32nd state in the United States.
On Sunday, January 1, 1860, Edwin Clark married Miss Ellen "Nellie" Rowe at the home of their friends, Mr & Mrs Cook, in Minneapolis. Edwin & Nellie would have six children: Everett, Herbert, Mabelle, John G, Rowe and Walter.
First Daily Newspaper
Clark soon found a business partner, William A. Croffut, and they purchased the weekly Minnesota Republican and also began publishing the Falls Evening News. This was the first daily newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Capitol Clerk
In November 1863, Clark accepted a clerkship in the United States House of Representatives, bestowed on him by Ignatius Donnelly - the former Lt Governor of Minnesota who had become a U.S. Representative. Clark served in this position for the term of December 1863 to April 1865.
On Wednesday, April 12, 1865, two days before he was assassinated, President Abe Lincoln appointed Edwin Clark to be the agent for the Winnebago and Ojibwe Indian tribes in Minnesota and Dakota. This new position required the Clarks relocate to the Chippewa Agency near Crow Wing, Minnesota. While stationed there, a new building was constructed to house the agency.
The new appointment also came with the new title: "Major." Friends would occasionally call him "Major" and he would proudly carry this title for the rest of his life.
On his return journey to Minnesota, Clark heard the news of President Abraham Lincoln's death. Soon after hearing this, Edwin Clark returned to Washington D.C. and was able to view Lincoln's body as he lay in state in the nation's Capitol rotunda.
Clark was removed from office in May 1867 by President Andrew Johnson. This action was most likely in retaliation for Clark's decision to ignore the President's request that he donate $60.00 to the President's re-election campaign.
Many years later, Everett E. Clark, Edwin's son, donated the document signed by President Lincoln on April 12, 1865 to the Minnesota History Museum in St. Paul, Minn.
Clarks Settle in Stearns County
Soon after, Edwin Clark, his family and his first cousin, William H Clark, journeyed to a small Minnesota settlement in central Minnesota - approximately 100 miles west of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
In western Stearns County they found the village of Melrose, Minnesota - small collection of log cabins along with a post office, flour mill along the banks of the Sauk River and a few other structures. It may have been more primitive if compared to the standards of the larger, more modern & growing Twin Cities. But the Clarks knew there new community wasn't any more primitive than their previous address in Leech Lake.
Edwin Clark and William H. Clark immediately set their plans to grow and prosper into action, including to: built (or improve upon) the Sauk River Dam that would generate the power needed to run their new grist mill and cooper shop; establish the first retail stores in town - which were located on Main Street in the Clark's new block of brick buildings; and they would support others efforts to build a hotel....which was built with lumber purchased at the Clark Lumberyard of Melrose.
In 1872 the Clarks paid to have the town legally plotted. This would ensure Melrose would continue to grow - in size, organization and of course, financially. The Clarks also gave half of the town site to the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad as an incentive for running a branch line through Melrose and for the railroad to establish a roundhouse in the town. This meant the railroad would leave its regional headquarters in St. Cloud and relocate to Melrose.
By 1887, Melrose had been a village for 16 years and a community of white settlers for 23 years. On February 9, 1887 Melrose officially became a city – a prestigious title in a county in which only 3 communities can claim the official title of "city." (the 3 cities are St. Cloud, Sauk Centre and Melrose). The tallies from the election show that the voting residents of Melrose were 125 for, 65 against.
If the Father of Melrose were to return to Melrose, Minnesota today, he would discover the dam on the Sauk River that he built in 1867 was repaired several times and finally replaced with new dam in the 1970s. The Clark Flour Mill was converted to a brewery; then an egg drying plant, and in 1943, the building was purchased by Kraft Foods, where they produce cheddar & blue cheese to sell to customers around the world. Kraft operated the cheese plant until it was totally destroyed by fire in January 1989.
Clark would also find the his brick buildings on the 400th block of Main Street is no longer standing. In September 2016, the west end of Clark's Brick Block was destroyed by fire. The buildings in the center of the block remain in place.
If he were to have returned to Melrose in 2010, Edwin Clark would find a city of approximately 3,600 people...and nearly 70% of the population is German; and just like when he resided in Melrose, most of the Germans are Catholic.
That's Depressing
In 1893, the entire country fell into an economic depression, and Melrose felt the impact as well. Edwin Clark was the one that gained the most from the growth of Melrose but he was also the one that lost the most during this depression. These years were not only economically painful for Clark but a period that was personally painful too.
In September 1893, Abby Clark, the wife of William H Clark, passed away. Just 5 months later, in February 1894, Edwin's first cousin & long-time business partner, William H. Clark, also passed away. Both Abby and W.H. Clark are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Melrose, Minn.
In November 1893 Edwin, Nellie, their two sons & daughter left Melrose and moved to 3041 Harriet Ave S in Minneapolis, Minn. The Ard Godfrey family were their neighbors in 3045 Harriet Ave. S.
At this time, Clark earned an income as an insurance agent. The people of the area around the Falls of St. Anthony still remembered & respected Clark, including the fact that in 1857 he was the publisher of the first daily newspaper in Minnesota.
The following year, 1894, Clark lost most of his business enterprises and was forced to sell his property & businesses, most of which were located in Stearns County and specifically, Melrose, Minn. His financial disaster was only made worse when his wife, Ellen Rowe Clark, died on July 8, 1894. All of these tragic events marked not only a loss to Clark & his family but to the communities of Minneapolis and Melrose.
A Trip Home
Over the July 4th holiday in 1917, Edwin Clark returned to Melrose for a visit with some of his life-long friends and to see the city he would be associated with for eternity. It had been seven years since his last visit and he was pleased with the continued growth and improvements he saw around town.
During his stay at the home of Lucinda Ulmer, he expressed how he wished he could have remained in Melrose the rest of his life but the financial depression in the 1890s didn't allow for his personal wishes.
Great Historical Foresight
Being a man that understood the importance of history and the valuable lessons he learned throughout his life, Edwin E. Clark began a campaign to save the first house / residence built in Minneapolis, Minn. The first home was built by millwright Ard Godfrey in 1849 in a Greek Revival style. The house was originally construction near Main Street Southeast (near today's merchants at St. Anthony Main). The Godfrey family remained in this house until 1853 when they moved to a house near Minnehaha Park in south Minneapolis.
Clark was strongly politicking for any local organization to rescue this 1849 structure. His primary motive for taking on the task of preserving the Ard Godfrey house wasn't only because that is where Clark hung his personal 'Home Sweet Home' sign, but primarily because he knew of this structure's significance in the city's history.
In 1905, Clark's effort started to produce positive results. The Territorial Pioneers Associations of Minnesota and Hennepin County was officially created and the organization purchased the Ard Godfrey House.
In 1914 the Pioneers Association established the Ard Godfrey House as a museum. Clark and his son Walter became the live-in curators the of the museum and its collection of pioneer relics. The Minneapolis Park Board and Pioneer Association cut funding for the museum in 1943 and the house was boarded up and the structure deteriorated with each passing year.
After thirty-two years of being ignored and in a delapitated state, the Women's Club of Minneapolis purchased the house in 1975 and gifted it back to the city. With the support of the city and the Women's Club, the oldest house in Minneapolis was restored & opened to the public in 1979. Today the Women's Club continues to offer free tours of the Ard Godfrey House.
The free tours of the Godfrey House and the online listing of Historical Structures in Minneapolis, MN would not be possible today if not for the effort of the first historical preservation supporter - Edwin E. Clark.
Edwin Clark continued to live in the Ard Godfrey House in Minneapolis, Minn until his death on April 27, 1922 at the Godfrey House. He died without monetary wealth and was buried in an unmarked grave in the pauper section of Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minn.
It was only in the early 1990s, through efforts made by their descendants and the leaders of the Melrose Historical Society, that grave markers were purchased & placed on Edwin & Ellen Clarks final resting place in Lakewood Cemetery.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE CLARK FAMILY FACTS
Edwin Clark married Ellen F. (Nellie) Rowe on January 1, 1860 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The couple had six children: Everett, Herbert, Mabelle, John G., Rowe, and Walter.
Ellen F. Rowe was born in 1836 in Belknap County, New Hampshire to Morrison and Sally (James) Rowe. She died on July 8, 1894, a few months after the couple left Melrose to return to the Twin Cities. She was 58 years old. A link to her Find A Grave memorial record is below.
THE SIX CLARK CHILDREN
The children of Edwin E and Nellie (Rowe) Clark are:
- Everett E. Clark was born in 1862 in New Hampshire. He married Edith Ulmer, daughter of Sears and Lucinda Ulmer of Melrose.
- Herbert Clark was also born in New Hampshire in June 1864 but died in 1865.
- Mabelle E Clark was born in Crow Wing County, Minnesota on April 1, 1867 while the family resided near Leach Lake, Minn. She attended Bennett Seminary / Boarding School in St. Paul, Minn. Mabelle Clark returned to Melrose and on July 22, 1893, married Dawes How of the same city. (Stearns Marriage Cert: 29754000) Mabelle Clark How** died on November 29, 1956 in Ramsey County, Minn. (Death Cert: 1956-MN-029363). She and husband Dawes are buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Maplewood, Minnesota.
- Dawes How owned a hardware store in the "Brick Block" built by Edwin Clark. Dawes Howe died in Ramsey County on April 28, 1925. (Death Cert: 1925-MN-023825) Location of burial unknown.
- John George Clark and Rowe Clark were born in Melrose, Stearns, Minn. Unfortunately both died in childhood. John G died August 27, 1870 at the age of 7 months and 8 days.
- Walter Clark was born in 1880 in Melrose. His whole life, from birth to death, Walter was legally blind. After the Clark's moved back to Minneapolis, Walter lived with his father until his death in 1922. Walter then moved in with his sister Mabelle Howe, then with a companion and finally, a nursing home.
CLARK GRAND-CHILDREN
- Helen Clark is the daughter of Everett and Edith (Ulmer) Clark.
- Everett & Edith Clark son, Harry E. Clark, died during WW I and is buried next to his parents in Roselawn Cemetery, Roseville, Ramsey County, Minn.
- Lucy Mabelle How is the daughter of Dawes and Mabelle (Clark) How
CLARK COUSINS
- Edwin Clark's first cousin and business partner in Melrose, William H Clark, was born in 1822 to Joseph and Hannah (Cook) Clark. Wm H Clark died on February 6, 1894. His wife, Abby Clark, was born in 1828 and died Sept 1893, five months before her husband. Both are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Melrose, Minn.
- William Evans Clark and Levin Clark are the sons of William H and Abby Clark.
- Benjamin Clark is brother of William H Clark - and another of Edwin Clark's first cousins. Benjamin Clark was born in New England to Joseph and Hannah (Cook) Clark. Benjamin and his wife Emma left New England and move to Melrose, Minn around 1862 where Benjamin Clark was the manager of the flour mill & dam on the Sauk River.
EPILOGUE
Edwin E Clark, age 88, died Thursday, April 27, 1922 at the Ard Godfrey House in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota - across the road from today's St. Anthony Main - 28 years after his wife Ellen. His funeral and burial took place on Monday, May 1, 1922.
Edwin E. and Ellen F. Clark are buried next to each other in Section PG21, Row 95, Plots 30 & 31 of Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minn.
In the 1990s, the Melrose Historical Society in cooperation with several members of the Clark family, placed gravestones on the grave of Edwin E Clark that matched Ellen Rowe Clark's gravestone.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Online Resources:
-Minnesota Historical Society
-Melrose Area Chamber of Commerce
-Melrose Historical Society
-Women's Club of Minneapolis - Ard Godfrey House
Paper Resources:
-Edwin Clark, The Father of Melrose, Melrose Area Historical Society, Jean Paschke, 2000
-The Mel and the Rose, Msgr. Vincent Yzermans, OSB, 1972
-The History of Stearns County Minnesota, William Bell Mitchell, 1915
-Melrose Beacon, July 5, 1917 page 1; May 4, 1922 page 1
-Death of John G Clark, Minneapolis Daily Tribune, August 30, 1870, page 1
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
** Last Name HOW - the last name may be spelled Howe or How. Several references show these variations in spelling. The marriage cert is spelled "Howe" but Mabelle's 1953 death cert and grave marker are spelled "How"
Inscription
Mpls; 1st Daily Newspaper
