General Notes

(Research):"In the fifty years following the landing of th
e Pilgrims at Plymouth and the English in Virginia, many pe
rsons of the name of Clark left England for the New World
. Some of them, like Richard Clarke, who was a passenger o
n the Mayflower, left no children, but it was the good fort
une of others to found families who have been active in th
e early New England settlements and the Virginia pioneers w
ho so bravely established homes in the wilderness. There i
s a very strong tradition which says that our paternal ance
stor who came to this country, emigrated from England to Vi
rginia, and that his name was John. He came from the Count
y of Kent, England and settled at Jamestown between 1630 an
d 1635.Tradition is that he settled on the James River an
d became a planter; that either on the vessel coming over
, or soon thereafter, he met, and fell in love with a Scotc
h girl, Hannah Wiatt, who became his wife. John died in Jam
estown c. 1645. The pioneer ancestor of the Monroe County
, (West) Virginia line was James Clark of Augusta County, w
ho according to tradition, was the son of John Clark, thir
d in descent from John Clark the immigrant. James Clark set
tled in Augusta County, Virginia in 1740. He was one of Wil
liam Beverley's land agents, and his name frequently appear
s in the records of the county He owned a large plantation(
800 acres) some nine miles southwest of Staunton, near th
e old Glebe Cemetery, and in the area of the old North Moun
tain Meeting House. The land is called "James Clark's Old P
lantation" in the Augusta County Courthouse records. The ol
d home was demolished c. 1928. Records show that James wa
s a member of Captain John Willson's Virginia Militia of 17
42; and that he also served his country in the French and I
ndian War in 1758. (Hening, Volume 7, Augusta County Sectio
n).
James died in 1778; his will dated 20 AUG 1774; proved 17MA
R 1778 is recorded in Augusta County Will Book 6, Page 4, a
t the Courthouse in Staunton, Virginia, and reads:
"In the Name of God Amen "I James Clark of the County of Au
gusta and Colony of Virginia being Sick of body but of perf
ect Judgment and memory do appoint this to be my Last wil
l and testament in the manor following and first I commit m
y body to the Earth to be buried Decently at the Discresio
n of my Executors hereafter Named and my Soul to God who ga
ve it fully persuaded of a general Resurection and as touch
ing my worldly Estate I appoint that all Debts and funera
l charges be first paid and that all the Remainder of my Es
tate be divided in the following manor. Item I give and beq
ueath to my Daughter Jean Clark two Shillings Ster I give L
ikewise to my daughter Elisabeth Regh two Shilings Ster an
d Likewis my Daughter Sarah Clark two Shillings Ster and Li
kewis to my son John two Shillings Ster and Likewis to my s
on James two Shillings Ster and Likewis to my son William
s Heir five Shillings Sterling and my Daughter Ane Dunlap t
wo Shillings Ster and to my son Alexander two Shillings Ste
r and to my son Samuel two Shillings Sterling and to my so
n Robert two Shillings Ster and to my Dater Marget two Shil
lings Sterling and all the Remainder of my Estate both mone
y and goods I leave to my well beloved wife for her suppor
t and at her Disposal and I do here-by constitut ordain an
d appoint my well beloved son William Regh and my well belo
ved wife Elisabeth to Executors of this my Last will and te
stament and I formerly Revoke Disanull and make void all fo
rmer wills gifts Legecys made or done by me and do Ratify a
nd confirm this to be my Last Will and testament give unde
r my hand and Seal this 20th Day of Agust and in ye year o
f our Lord 1774"
James Clark
Signed Sealed in the presents of:
James McCleery
John McCleery
Jas. Ewing
At a Court held for Augusta County March the 17th 1778
This last Will and Testament of James Clark dec'd was prove
d by the Oaths of Jas. McC