David
Clark, the son of William Clark, was born in Washington County PA on 17
October 1788. He was raised on the farm, and moved with his family to
Mercer County PA. where his father William purchased 250 acres of land
in December 1803.
In December of 1811, David's father William
was sick, and he began the process of land distribution to his
children. On 18 Dec 1811, David purchased from William 100 acres for
100 cents. This land remained in David's family until the 1890's.
Volunteers
were called during the War of 1812, and several members of the
Neshannock Presbyterian Church joined the war effort. Captain Matthew
Dawson formed a company and James and William Clark were members.
Several members entered service elsewhere. There was a David Clark in
the Washington County Volunteers, and family history says he served in
the war. Since there were five David Clarks in the War of 1812, and
records in the National Archives are skimpy in details, no actual proof
of David's service was found.
The Bell family were members of
the Neshannock Presbyterian Church, and in 1818, the church members
erected a new structure for worship. This church was instrumental in
distributing books to members, and two Clark books survive today. In
this church, on 4 December 1821, David Clark married Margaret Bell.
This date was furnished by descendents of the Robert Clark family, the
brother of David Clark.
In 1827, David's brother William sold
to David 45 acres of the 100 acres deeded to William and James Clark by
their father William in 1811. David paid his brother $100 for the land.
David Clark worked his land, and became prominent in his
church. During the period 1835 to 1850, David Clark was one of the
singing clerks or choir leaders.
David and Margaret had seven
children: William Bell b. 26 Aug 1822 became owner of the farm after
David's death; Samuel Hazen m. Margaret Jane Bentley and moved to
Scotch Grove Iowa, where he became a leader in the Scotch Grove
Presbyterian Church; John Calvin moved to Langworthy Iowa, had a
family, and died at Andersonville prison during the Civil War. His
children became orphans; Robert moved to Scotch Grove and had a large
family, descendants of whom are living today; Elizabeth Mary moved to
Scotch Grove and married John Gibson; David Newton died before the
estate settlement in 1857; and Margaret Jane m. James A. Dawson in the
Scotch Grove Church in 1860, and died in Kansas in 1929.
David
Clark died on his farm, 31 August 1850, prior to gathering of the
crops. He died intestate, and his estate was tied up in the courts
until 1857. Margaret, his wife, married 2nd John Bentley, and after the
estate settlement in 1857 moved with her daughter Margaret Jane to
Scotch Grove Iowa where they joined the Presbyterian Church. Details of
the settlement and inventory of David's estate are found in the book
"200 Years of Taylors in North America", published by Gateway Press in
1986, and written by David B. Taylor.
Margaret Bell Clark
Bentley joined the church in Scotch Grove on 1 November 1859. She died
on 29 March 1867, and is buried in the Scotch Grove church cemetery.
Her broken stone was repaired sometime in the past, and reads "Our
Mother".
Prepared and researched by David B.Taylor
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