Friday, September 14, 2018

Mary Elizabeth Gant Clark

When I first read about Mary E Clark who gave 40 acres of land for the future Gainesville to be built, I thought it might have been our 3rd cousin 4 times removed Mary Elizabeth. Well, when I looked closer at it, I can see it could not be her - the dates do not match. The land was donated in 1850 and our Mary was born on 4 June 1861. Both ladies lived in Texas, though.


Mary Elizabeth Gant came to this world in Waynesboro, Wayne County, Tennessee, in the family of Absalom Bobo Gant and Nancy E Martin. She was their first child.

Nine years later, there were four more children in the Gant family. The records says, that their real estate was worth $600 and the value of their personal estate was #400.

Mary E R J Gant
United States Census, 1870
Name: Mary E R J Gant
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1870
Event Place: Tennessee, United States
Gender: Female
Age: 9
Race: White
Race (Original): W
Birth Year (Estimated): 1860-1861
Birthplace: Tennessee
Page Number 8

Household
A B Gant, Male, age 31, born Tennessee
Nancy Gant, Female, age 32, born Tennessee
Mary E R J Gant, F, age 9, b. Tennessee
Jessa B Gant, M, age 4, b. Tennessee
Samintha I Gant, F, age 3, b. Tennessee
Ann Gant, F, age 14, born Tennessee

Record Source:
"United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD8Z-GCC : 12 April 2016), Mary E R J Gant in household of A B Gant, Tennessee, United States; citing p. 8, family 54, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 553,068.


Mary Elizabeth, her parents and siblings moved to Hill Country, Texas by 1880. The Census from 1880 shows that at the time when the records were made,  they had already lived there. Absalom Bobo was a farmer, his wife was a homemaker and looked after their seven children.

Mary E Gant
United States Census, 1880

Name: Mary E Gant
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1880
Event Place: Precinct 1, Hill, Texas, United States
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Race: White
Race (Original): W
Relationship to Head of Household: Daughter
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Dau
Birth Year (Estimated): 1861
Birthplace: Tennessee, United States
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee, United States
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee, United States
Sheet Letter A
Sheet Number 306
Person Number 2
Volume 1

Household
A B Gant, Self, Male, age 43, born Tennessee, United States
Nancy Gant, Wife, F, 43, b. Tennessee, United States
Mary E Gant, Daughter, F, 19, b. Tennessee, United States
Jessee B Gant, Son, M, 13, b. Tennessee, United States
S A Gant, Daughter, F, 12, b. Tennessee, United States
Nannie Gant, Daughter, F, 10, b. Tennessee, United States
S C Gant, Daughter, F, 8, b. Tennessee, United States
Eliza P Gant, Daughter, F, 4, b. Tennessee, United States
Tennie Gant, Daughter, F, 1, Native America

Record Source:
"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFNK-8S1 : 15 July 2017), Mary E Gant in household of A B Gant, Precinct 1, Hill, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 71, sheet 306A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1311; FHL microfilm 1,255,311.

Mary's siblings were: Jessee Bobo, Samantha A., Nancy Emma, Sarah Clementine, Eliza P., and Tennessee who was born in the Oklahoma territory, very probably when the family was moving to Texas.

Anyway, a year later Mary Elizabeth got married to John Prichard Clark.

Mary Gant
mentioned in the record of John P Clark and Mary Gant

Name: John P Clark
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 29 May 1881
Event Place: Hill, Texas, United States
Gender: Male
Spouse's Name: Mary Gant
Spouse's Titles and Terms: Miss
Spouse's Gender: Female
Page 484

Record Source:
"Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV14-6Z8L : accessed 12 September 2018), John P Clark and Mary Gant, 29 May 1881, Marriage; citing Hill, Texas, United States, various county clerk offices, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Texas Dept. of State Health Services and Golightly-Payne-Coon Co.; FHL microfilm 985,181.


Mary's husband, John Prichard Clark was four years older than her. He was born on 26 July 1857 in Salem, Massachusetts to John S (born in 1823 in Michigan). Clark and Priscilla Pauline Pritchard (born in 1824 in Bristol, England). John's birth certificate tells that his father was a mariner.

John P Clark
Massachusetts Births

Name: John P Clark
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 26 Jul 1857
Event Place: Salem, Massachusetts
Gender: M
Christening Place: Massachusetts
Father's Name: John S Clark
Mother's Name: Pris'A

Record source:
"Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FXC2-K8K : 11 March 2018), John P Clark, 26 Jul 1857, Salem, Massachusetts; citing reference ID #p327 No219, Massachusetts Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 1,420,935.


John's parents married in England.

John Clark
mentioned in the record of John Clark and Priscilla Prichard

Name: John Clark
Spouse's Name: Priscilla Prichard
Event Date: 08 Jul 1844
Event Place: St. Thomas, Bristol, Gloucester, England
Father's Name: James Clark
Spouse's Father's Name: Francis Prichard


Record source:
"England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NFLD-6XY : 10 February 2018), John Clark and Priscilla Prichard, 08 Jul 1844; citing St. Thomas, Bristol, Gloucester, England, reference 150, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1,595,994.

St. Thomas the Martyr, Interior of the church, Bristol, England

Later, they moved to America, and from Massachusetts to Texas. Both John S Clark and his wife Priscilla Pauline died in Cego, Falls County, Texas.

According to my finds, Mary and John P. had three children - Martha Priscilla (born 26 March 1882), Sam B.( born on 10 Jan. 1885), and Nannie B. (b. 28 August 1888/d. 26 Sept. 1888).

Sadly, cousin Mary Elizabrth Clark died not long after her youngest daughter on 7 Oct. 1888. She was only 27. Mary's body was buried at Van Alstyne Cemetery in Van Alstyne, Grayson County, Texas.


After her death, their children Sam and Martha lived with Mary's parents Absalom Bobo and Nancy. John Prichard remarried in 1890 (1).

Sam Clark
United States Census, 1900

Name: Sam Clark
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1900
Event Place: Justice Precinct 1 (northwest part), Hill, Texas, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Race (Original): W
Relationship to Head of Household: Grandson
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): G Son
Birth Date: Jan 1885
Birthplace: Texas
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee


Household
Absolom B Gant, Head, Male, age 61, born Tennessee
Nancy Gant, Wife, F, age 62, b. Tennessee
Elisie B Gant Daughter, F, age 24, b. Tennessee
Martha Clark, Granddaughter, F, age 18, b. Texas
Sam Clark, Grandson, M, age 15, b. Texas


Record Source:
"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3G5-2XR : accessed 13 September 2018), Sam Clark in household of Absolom B Gant, Justice Precinct 1 (northwest part), Hill, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 37, sheet 4A, family 65, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,644.


Martha Priscilla Clark, John P and Mary E's oldest child, married four years after her mother's death. Martha's spouse was Doyle Abner Bennett (born in 1881 in Peoria, TX) the son of Mr. John Pinion Bennett and Miss Pellina Plina Pardine Blocker.

Martha Clark
mentioned in the record of D A Bennett and Martha Clark

Name: D A Bennett
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 19 Nov 1902
Event Place: Hill, Texas, United States
Gender: Male
Spouse's Name: Martha Clark
Spouse's Titles: and Terms Miss
Spouse's Gender: Female
Page 20


Record Source:
"Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV14-6Q6R : accessed 13 September 2018), D A Bennett and Martha Clark, 19 Nov 1902, Marriage; citing Hill, Texas, United States, various county clerk offices, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Texas Dept. of State Health Services and Golightly-Payne-Coon Co.; FHL microfilm 985,129. 


The couple lived in Hill Country (2). They had two children a daughter Addie D (b. 1914) and son Sam C (b. 1918) (3).

Martha lived 78 years. She passed on 7 August 1960 in Hillsboro Hospital due to congestive heart failure. She was buried at Peoria Cemetery in Hill County, TX (4).

Sam B. Clark, the younger child of Mary Elizabeth and John Prichard, married in 1905. His wife Annie Nivin (Sarah Ann Nevins) was born on 15 Sept. 1885 to Silas D. and Nancy Ann Nivins. The marriage took place in Huron, TX (5) (6).


S B Clark
mentioned in the record of S B Clark and Annie Nivin

Name: S B Clark
Titles and Terms: Mr
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 05 Mar 1905
Event Place: Hill, Texas, United States
Gender: Male
Spouse's Name: Annie Nivin
Spouse's Titles and Terms: Miss
Spouse's Gender: Female
Page 609


Record Source:
"Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV14-DB7T : accessed 14 September 2018), S B Clark and Annie Nivin, 05 Mar 1905, Marriage; citing Hill, Texas, United States, various county clerk offices, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Texas Dept. of State Health Services and Golightly-Payne-Coon Co.; FHL microfilm 985,129.


I did not find any information about Sam and Annie's children.

Sam lived 78 years as well. He died in Whitney Hospital, Hill County, TX, in the city where he had lived for years. The cause of his death was pneumonia and a cerebral vascular accident. Sam found his final resting place at Hillcrest Garden of Memory Cemetery in Hillsboro, Hill County, TX (6).


Photos:
  • St. Thomas church: By NickGeorge1993 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47605822
  • Photo of the gravestone by Sue
Sources:
(1) "Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV14-X36F : accessed 14 September 2018), J P Clark and Nannie A Duty, 02 Jul 1890, Marriage; citing Falls, Texas, United States, various county clerk offices, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Texas Dept. of State Health Services and Golightly-Payne-Coon Co.; FHL microfilm 985,641.
(2) "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2M2-XC1 : accessed 14 September 2018), Martha P Bennett in household of Doile A Bennett, Justice Precinct 4, Hill, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 164, sheet 11A, family 131, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1564; FHL microfilm 1,375,577.
(3) "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CMNT-FZM : accessed 14 September 2018), Martha P Bennett in household of Doil A Bennett, Precinct 4, Hill, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 21, sheet 6B, line 68, family 124, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2357; FHL microfilm 2,342,091.
(4) "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3H9-F1G : 13 March 2018), Martha Priscilla Bennett, 07 Aug 1960; citing certificate number 54837, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,116,473.
(4) findagrave.com
(5) "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M32T-5LG : accessed 14 September 2018), Sarah Ann Nivins in household of S D Nivins, Justice Precinct 4 (south half) Morgan village, Bosque, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 6, sheet 16A, family 283, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,613.
(6) "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7D9-56K : 13 March 2018), Sam B Clark, 11 Aug 1963; citing certificate number 51762, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,117,292.




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