James Clark was an Ensign (not a Private) during the Revolutionary War. At that time the Army used the rank of Ensign which would be equivelent to a 2nd Lieutenant today. Unfortunately when my grandfather Valjean Clark and I obtained the new headstone for him it was during the early states of research, thus the wrong rank. Also, the monument company removed his original stone and disposed of it- a fact I wasn't aware of until it was too late.
In the early 1990's I spent time in Lancaster, PA researching James (my Great Grandfather 6x) hoping to find his parents but with no luck. The Presbyterian Church there which would most likely would have had his baptismal records had burned many years back. There are quite a few Clark's that had a son James mentioned in their wills that were in the right time frame, so It's difficult to know which is the correct one (if any).
James was married in Marsh Creek (now known as Gettysburg) and had four sons and four daughters (a reference stating this was found in the Blair County PA Historical Society). The name of his wife is also unknown at this time. James was a very well-known gunsmith. This fact was published in several history books. During the Revolutionary War James started out making cannons at the Carlisle Barracks. He served under General George Washington and was shot during the Battle of Brandywine and captured by the British. After the war he lived in Bedford County where he was listed as a "fugitive" for not paying taxes.
He moved to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (still part of Virginia during that time). He was a charter member of Lodge #1 of the IOOF there. His son "B. Clark" donated the family Bible to the Lodge of which I was able to examine on a trip there in 2022. James signed his name in the Bible and dated it 1815.
Sometime after that he returned to Pennsylvania where he lived in Morris Township, Huntingdon County, just across the county line from Catharine Township, Blair County, where his sons John and James and daughter Elizabeth were living. I have not been able to positively identify the remaing sons and daughters, other than one son had the initial "B" (the one who donated the Bible). The meeting minutes from the Harper's Ferry IOOF that mentioned the Bible donation only listed his first initial.
James' obituary does not mention his children and he had no will. Probate records listed his son James as the administrator. I obtained his war records from the National Archives and they do not provide any further information on his children (or spouse).
In the early 1990's I spent time in Lancaster, PA researching James (my Great Grandfather 6x) hoping to find his parents but with no luck. The Presbyterian Church there which would most likely would have had his baptismal records had burned many years back. There are quite a few Clark's that had a son James mentioned in their wills that were in the right time frame, so It's difficult to know which is the correct one (if any).
James was married in Marsh Creek (now known as Gettysburg) and had four sons and four daughters (a reference stating this was found in the Blair County PA Historical Society). The name of his wife is also unknown at this time. James was a very well-known gunsmith. This fact was published in several history books. During the Revolutionary War James started out making cannons at the Carlisle Barracks. He served under General George Washington and was shot during the Battle of Brandywine and captured by the British. After the war he lived in Bedford County where he was listed as a "fugitive" for not paying taxes.
He moved to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (still part of Virginia during that time). He was a charter member of Lodge #1 of the IOOF there. His son "B. Clark" donated the family Bible to the Lodge of which I was able to examine on a trip there in 2022. James signed his name in the Bible and dated it 1815.
Sometime after that he returned to Pennsylvania where he lived in Morris Township, Huntingdon County, just across the county line from Catharine Township, Blair County, where his sons John and James and daughter Elizabeth were living. I have not been able to positively identify the remaing sons and daughters, other than one son had the initial "B" (the one who donated the Bible). The meeting minutes from the Harper's Ferry IOOF that mentioned the Bible donation only listed his first initial.
James' obituary does not mention his children and he had no will. Probate records listed his son James as the administrator. I obtained his war records from the National Archives and they do not provide any further information on his children (or spouse).
James Clark was an Ensign (not a Private) during the Revolutionary War. At that time the Army used the rank of Ensign which would be equivelent to a 2nd Lieutenant today. Unfortunately when my grandfather Valjean Clark and I obtained the new headstone for him it was during the early states of research, thus the wrong rank. Also, the monument company removed his original stone and disposed of it- a fact I wasn't aware of until it was too late.
In the early 1990's I spent time in Lancaster, PA researching James (my Great Grandfather 6x) hoping to find his parents but with no luck. The Presbyterian Church there which would most likely would have had his baptismal records had burned many years back. There are quite a few Clark's that had a son James mentioned in their wills that were in the right time frame, so It's difficult to know which is the correct one (if any).
James was married in Marsh Creek (now known as Gettysburg) and had four sons and four daughters (a reference stating this was found in the Blair County PA Historical Society). The name of his wife is also unknown at this time. James was a very well-known gunsmith. This fact was published in several history books. During the Revolutionary War James started out making cannons at the Carlisle Barracks. He served under General George Washington and was shot during the Battle of Brandywine and captured by the British. After the war he lived in Bedford County where he was listed as a "fugitive" for not paying taxes.
He moved to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (still part of Virginia during that time). He was a charter member of Lodge #1 of the IOOF there. His son "B. Clark" donated the family Bible to the Lodge of which I was able to examine on a trip there in 2022. James signed his name in the Bible and dated it 1815.
Sometime after that he returned to Pennsylvania where he lived in Morris Township, Huntingdon County, just across the county line from Catharine Township, Blair County, where his sons John and James and daughter Elizabeth were living. I have not been able to positively identify the remaing sons and daughters, other than one son had the initial "B" (the one who donated the Bible). The meeting minutes from the Harper's Ferry IOOF that mentioned the Bible donation only listed his first initial.
James' obituary does not mention his children and he had no will. Probate records listed his son James as the administrator. I obtained his war records from the National Archives and they do not provide any further information on his children (or spouse).
In the early 1990's I spent time in Lancaster, PA researching James (my Great Grandfather 6x) hoping to find his parents but with no luck. The Presbyterian Church there which would most likely would have had his baptismal records had burned many years back. There are quite a few Clark's that had a son James mentioned in their wills that were in the right time frame, so It's difficult to know which is the correct one (if any).
James was married in Marsh Creek (now known as Gettysburg) and had four sons and four daughters (a reference stating this was found in the Blair County PA Historical Society). The name of his wife is also unknown at this time. James was a very well-known gunsmith. This fact was published in several history books. During the Revolutionary War James started out making cannons at the Carlisle Barracks. He served under General George Washington and was shot during the Battle of Brandywine and captured by the British. After the war he lived in Bedford County where he was listed as a "fugitive" for not paying taxes.
He moved to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (still part of Virginia during that time). He was a charter member of Lodge #1 of the IOOF there. His son "B. Clark" donated the family Bible to the Lodge of which I was able to examine on a trip there in 2022. James signed his name in the Bible and dated it 1815.
Sometime after that he returned to Pennsylvania where he lived in Morris Township, Huntingdon County, just across the county line from Catharine Township, Blair County, where his sons John and James and daughter Elizabeth were living. I have not been able to positively identify the remaing sons and daughters, other than one son had the initial "B" (the one who donated the Bible). The meeting minutes from the Harper's Ferry IOOF that mentioned the Bible donation only listed his first initial.
James' obituary does not mention his children and he had no will. Probate records listed his son James as the administrator. I obtained his war records from the National Archives and they do not provide any further information on his children (or spouse).
