Summary of research by Arlington East Hill Cemetery;

George Washington Clark was born February 21, 1823 in Union County, Indiana to George and Elenor (Ellen) Clark. He was one of five children. George (Sr.) and Elenor were born in Maryland and were living in Union County on the 1830 Census. George W. was reportedly (on 1850 Census) born in Indiana, so the family must have settled prior to 1823 in Indiana.

George W. Clark worked as a millwright most of his life. His father was also a millwright. He married Emily C. Folger, daughter of Paul Worth and Mary (Cartwright Smith) Folger, from Rush County, in 1852. George and Emily had five daughters and resided initially in Union County. In 1855, George W. Clark served the citizens of Union County in the Indiana State Legislature.

Chryse Wayman's information from the Mayflower Society; George Washington Clark is the Son of Paul W. Clark who was born in North Carolina in 1800. George's mother is Mary Clark (maiden name unknown at present) in 1804, also in North Carolina. This information may not be accurate.

George is one of the three Gentlemen who laid out Arlington East Hill Cemetery in 1873. Just months later, he was the first to be buried here. The other gentlemen who laid out this cemetery are Uriah Gordon and John K. Gowdy.

The following is from the Facebook page of Arlington East Hill Cemetery. "The Clark family moved to Posey Township around 1860. George W. Clark was elected Justice of the Peace of Posey Township. He held that position at the time of his death. Emily Clark passed away in 1866 and is buried in the Blue River Wesleyan Cemetery.

George W. Clark remarried in 1867. His second wife, Priscilla (Gordon) Offutt, was also a native of Rush County. She was the daughter of Uriah and Priscilla Philadelphia (McDuffee) Gordon. Priscilla (Gordon) Offutt Clark had a son, Frank Offutt, from her first marriage. According to Frank Offutt's obituary, his father John Franklin Offutt, died during the Civil War.

George W. Clark was reportedly an active member of his community. He helped start the Beech Grove Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) in Burlington (later renamed Arlington). Completed in April 1873, he and his brother-in-law, John K. Gowdy. established a cemetery east of Burlington (Arlington). John K. Gowdy was married to Eve Eliza (Gordon) also a daughter of Uriah and Priscilla Gordon.

The cemetery ground was purchased from the Gordon family. The original cemetery was about 3.55 acres and did not include the Lee Burying Ground (60 square feet in the extreme northwest corner of the cemetery). The cemetery was operated privately until 1891. This area contains sections 1, 2, and 3 of the now Arlington East Hill Cemetery.

On August 2, 1873, George W. Clark, a reportedly healthy and fit 50-year-old unexpectedly died after taken ill for the two weeks prior. An ironic quote from his obituary: "Mr. Clark was the first brother to be buried by the lodge that he labored so earnestly to establish, and his remains are the first to rest in the cemetery he assisted in laying out."

Along with George W. Clark, Priscilla (Gordon) Offutt Clark, John K. Gowdy, Eve Eliza (Gordon) Gowdy, Uriah Gordon, Priscilla Philadelphia (McDuffee) Gordon, Frank Offutt are all buried in Section 3 of Arlington East Hill Cemetery. Several descendants are buried in Section 3 and elsewhere in the cemetery.

(sources: Ancestry, Find-a-Grave, Newspaper archives, Gordon family history, and Arlington East Hill Cemetery records)

More information about our cemetery and its history can be found at www.arlingtoneasthillcemetery.com."

If anyone has an obituary for Mr. George Clark, second Great Grandfather, could you please forward it to me or post it here? I'm also seeking his cause of death. He was 50 when he died after being sick for 2 weeks. I'm curious as to why he died so young.