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Martha Ann <I>Berry</I> Clark

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Martha Ann Berry Clark

Birth
Winchester, Franklin County, Tennessee, USA
Death
25 Jan 1900 (aged 80)
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California, USA
Burial
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California, USA Add to Map
Plot
Main Circle 196
Memorial ID
View Source
Martha Ann Berry Clark's father, Samuel Berry, was living in Franklin County, Tennessee, by 1815 when he bought land on the waters of the Boiling Fork of the Elk River. Martha and her siblings were born there. In 1826 Samuel sold his land in Tennessee and moved his family to Sangamon County, Illinois. In 1828 he became the Justice of the Peace and in that capacity Samuel was instrumental in the creation of Menard County which was formed out of Sangamon County.

Samuel Berry and his family lived near New Salem in Menard County, Illinois, a town now famous as the home of a young man named Abraham Lincoln. Samuel's brother, Rev. John McCutchen Berry, lived in New Salem as well. He was the minister of the Rock Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Reverend Berry was the father of William P. Berry, who opened a general store with Abraham Lincoln in New Salem in 1832.

In the 1850 census of Menard County, Samuel Berry was seventy years of age and was the owner of 1500 acres of land north of Petersburg, Illinois. Petersburg is 2 miles from the town of New Salem.

Abe Lincoln was quite close with the Berry family. He was the best man at the wedding of Martha Ann Berry's brother, Baxter Bell Berry. Abe won local elections and served in the Illinois House of Representatives for several years beginning in 1834.

Soon after Abraham Lincoln's famous speech against slavery in early 1837, as a young man David Curtis Clark moved from his family's farm in Ohio to the area of Illinois where Abe and the Berry family was living. The Clark and Berry families had known each other from colonial Virginia times. According to family history and the DNA evidence of his descendants, David Curtis Clark was a cousin of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Within a few months David Curtis Clark married Martha Ann Berry. Their wedding took place at the home of her sister, Margaret McCutchen Berry Jeter. Margaret's home was in Fulton County, just across the river from Menard County.

The Jeter family was also associated with the Clark family back in Kentucky. Margaret's husband, William Griffin Jeter, grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, near the childhood home of William Clark who carried out the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

William Griffin Jeter moved to Illinois in the early 1830s. After Abe Lincoln moved to New Salem, Illinois, they became close friends. They worked together as surveyors in 1836, and after Mr. Lincoln moved a few miles away to Springfield, Illinois, he would stay at the home of William Griffin Jeter and his wife Margaret McCutchen Berry Jeter whenever he was in the area.

David Curtis Clark raised his family on his farm located near Abe Lincoln's home in Illinois until Abe was elected President of the U.S. and moved to the nation's capital.

In 1863, David Curtis and Martha Berry Clark brought all of their children from Illinois to Sonoma County, California, the same area where Martha's brother, Baxter Bell Berry, had settled a few years earlier. David purchased 300 acres of farmland on the west side of Santa Rosa and developed a ranch there. Baxter Bell Berry had settled in nearby Sebastopol, where he ran a livery stable and was elected Justice of the Peace.

This is an announcement of the 62nd wedding anniversary of David Curtis and Martha Berry Clark, from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:

SANTA ROSA, December 12, 1899 - Mr. and Mrs. D.C. Clark, two of the best-known residents of this State, today celebrated the sixty-second anniversary of their wedding at their residence here. A nephew of the couple is former Lieutenant-Governor Jeter of Santa Cruz and at the residence of his parents, in Fulton county, Illinois, they were married on December 12, 1837. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have six children, twenty grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren. The children are Professor D.C. Clark of Santa Cruz, Mrs. B.F. Bergen of Berkeley, T. Clark of Visalia, S.B. Clark of Franz Valley, Mrs. D.N. Carithers and Mrs. John S. Taylor of Santa Rosa.

Obituary in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, January 27, 1900:

Mrs. Martha A. Clark Called to Her Home – One of this County's Pioneers
Mrs. Martha A. Clark passed to her rest Thursday morning, January 25th. Most of her family were by her bedside when death's summons came. Surviving the deceased are her husband, David C. Clark, three sons and three daughters. These are Mrs. B.F. Bergen of Berkeley, Mrs. M.E. Carithers of this city, Mrs. John S. Taylor of this city, T.E. Clark of Visalia, S.B. Clark of Franz Valley and David C. Clark of Santa Cruz. Mrs. Emma Bradshaw and Mrs. B. Forsyth, both deceased, were also daughters. Twenty-one grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren survive the deceased.
Mrs. Clark was a native of Tennessee and was eighty years, six months and fourteen days old. With her husband she came to California and directly to this city in 1863. The family settled on a ranch in Wright school district.
~~~~~~

Some of David Curtis and Martha Ann Berry Clark's daughters married men who were well-known in Santa Rosa:
Mary Ellen married David Noble Carithers, founder of the first department store in Santa Rosa, known then as the White House, a dry goods store.
Margaret married Benjamin Bryant Forsyth, who helped manage the White House dry goods store with his brother-in-law David Noble Carithers.
Nancy married Jonathan Shackelford Taylor, rancher and president of Santa Rosa Bank. His ranch is now Taylor Mountain Park in Santa Rosa.

Some of David and Martha Berry Clark's children moved out of Santa Rosa, although they all stayed in California:
Elizabeth married attorney Benjamin Franklin Bergen and lived with him in Berkeley, California.
Thomas Ewing Clark was a real estate attorney who lived in Tulare County, California.
Samuel Berry Clark married Minnie Louise Franz, who lived in the Sonoma County valley named after her father, near Calistoga. Samuel and Minnie were ranchers.
Emma Frances married Joseph A. Bradshaw and lived in Colusa County, California, where he taught school.
David Curtis Clark, Jr., became a teacher and then later the City Superintendent of Schools and Mayor for Santa Cruz, California.

David and Martha's daughter and son Sarah and John passed away due to illness while they were still children. Sarah is buried in Illinois and John is in the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery near his parents.

Martha Ann Berry and her husband David Curtis Clark are listed on page 64 of this online book titled Abraham Lincoln Before 1860:

https://archive.org/stream/abrahamlincolnberutlinc#page/n63/mode/1up
Martha Ann Berry Clark's father, Samuel Berry, was living in Franklin County, Tennessee, by 1815 when he bought land on the waters of the Boiling Fork of the Elk River. Martha and her siblings were born there. In 1826 Samuel sold his land in Tennessee and moved his family to Sangamon County, Illinois. In 1828 he became the Justice of the Peace and in that capacity Samuel was instrumental in the creation of Menard County which was formed out of Sangamon County.

Samuel Berry and his family lived near New Salem in Menard County, Illinois, a town now famous as the home of a young man named Abraham Lincoln. Samuel's brother, Rev. John McCutchen Berry, lived in New Salem as well. He was the minister of the Rock Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Reverend Berry was the father of William P. Berry, who opened a general store with Abraham Lincoln in New Salem in 1832.

In the 1850 census of Menard County, Samuel Berry was seventy years of age and was the owner of 1500 acres of land north of Petersburg, Illinois. Petersburg is 2 miles from the town of New Salem.

Abe Lincoln was quite close with the Berry family. He was the best man at the wedding of Martha Ann Berry's brother, Baxter Bell Berry. Abe won local elections and served in the Illinois House of Representatives for several years beginning in 1834.

Soon after Abraham Lincoln's famous speech against slavery in early 1837, as a young man David Curtis Clark moved from his family's farm in Ohio to the area of Illinois where Abe and the Berry family was living. The Clark and Berry families had known each other from colonial Virginia times. According to family history and the DNA evidence of his descendants, David Curtis Clark was a cousin of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Within a few months David Curtis Clark married Martha Ann Berry. Their wedding took place at the home of her sister, Margaret McCutchen Berry Jeter. Margaret's home was in Fulton County, just across the river from Menard County.

The Jeter family was also associated with the Clark family back in Kentucky. Margaret's husband, William Griffin Jeter, grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, near the childhood home of William Clark who carried out the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

William Griffin Jeter moved to Illinois in the early 1830s. After Abe Lincoln moved to New Salem, Illinois, they became close friends. They worked together as surveyors in 1836, and after Mr. Lincoln moved a few miles away to Springfield, Illinois, he would stay at the home of William Griffin Jeter and his wife Margaret McCutchen Berry Jeter whenever he was in the area.

David Curtis Clark raised his family on his farm located near Abe Lincoln's home in Illinois until Abe was elected President of the U.S. and moved to the nation's capital.

In 1863, David Curtis and Martha Berry Clark brought all of their children from Illinois to Sonoma County, California, the same area where Martha's brother, Baxter Bell Berry, had settled a few years earlier. David purchased 300 acres of farmland on the west side of Santa Rosa and developed a ranch there. Baxter Bell Berry had settled in nearby Sebastopol, where he ran a livery stable and was elected Justice of the Peace.

This is an announcement of the 62nd wedding anniversary of David Curtis and Martha Berry Clark, from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:

SANTA ROSA, December 12, 1899 - Mr. and Mrs. D.C. Clark, two of the best-known residents of this State, today celebrated the sixty-second anniversary of their wedding at their residence here. A nephew of the couple is former Lieutenant-Governor Jeter of Santa Cruz and at the residence of his parents, in Fulton county, Illinois, they were married on December 12, 1837. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have six children, twenty grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren. The children are Professor D.C. Clark of Santa Cruz, Mrs. B.F. Bergen of Berkeley, T. Clark of Visalia, S.B. Clark of Franz Valley, Mrs. D.N. Carithers and Mrs. John S. Taylor of Santa Rosa.

Obituary in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, January 27, 1900:

Mrs. Martha A. Clark Called to Her Home – One of this County's Pioneers
Mrs. Martha A. Clark passed to her rest Thursday morning, January 25th. Most of her family were by her bedside when death's summons came. Surviving the deceased are her husband, David C. Clark, three sons and three daughters. These are Mrs. B.F. Bergen of Berkeley, Mrs. M.E. Carithers of this city, Mrs. John S. Taylor of this city, T.E. Clark of Visalia, S.B. Clark of Franz Valley and David C. Clark of Santa Cruz. Mrs. Emma Bradshaw and Mrs. B. Forsyth, both deceased, were also daughters. Twenty-one grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren survive the deceased.
Mrs. Clark was a native of Tennessee and was eighty years, six months and fourteen days old. With her husband she came to California and directly to this city in 1863. The family settled on a ranch in Wright school district.
~~~~~~

Some of David Curtis and Martha Ann Berry Clark's daughters married men who were well-known in Santa Rosa:
Mary Ellen married David Noble Carithers, founder of the first department store in Santa Rosa, known then as the White House, a dry goods store.
Margaret married Benjamin Bryant Forsyth, who helped manage the White House dry goods store with his brother-in-law David Noble Carithers.
Nancy married Jonathan Shackelford Taylor, rancher and president of Santa Rosa Bank. His ranch is now Taylor Mountain Park in Santa Rosa.

Some of David and Martha Berry Clark's children moved out of Santa Rosa, although they all stayed in California:
Elizabeth married attorney Benjamin Franklin Bergen and lived with him in Berkeley, California.
Thomas Ewing Clark was a real estate attorney who lived in Tulare County, California.
Samuel Berry Clark married Minnie Louise Franz, who lived in the Sonoma County valley named after her father, near Calistoga. Samuel and Minnie were ranchers.
Emma Frances married Joseph A. Bradshaw and lived in Colusa County, California, where he taught school.
David Curtis Clark, Jr., became a teacher and then later the City Superintendent of Schools and Mayor for Santa Cruz, California.

David and Martha's daughter and son Sarah and John passed away due to illness while they were still children. Sarah is buried in Illinois and John is in the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery near his parents.

Martha Ann Berry and her husband David Curtis Clark are listed on page 64 of this online book titled Abraham Lincoln Before 1860:

https://archive.org/stream/abrahamlincolnberutlinc#page/n63/mode/1up


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