Portrait and Biographical Album of Fulton County,
Illinois: containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of
prominent and representative citizens of the county: together with
portraits and biographies of all the presidents of the United States,
and governors of the state; Biographical Pub. Co., Chicago, IL; 1890;
page 479-480; Transcribed by Margaret Rose Whitehurst
William R. Clark, an old resident and prosperous farmer of
Liverpool Township, made his first appearance into this world in Miami
County, Ohio, on July 15, 1823. His ancestors were of Irish-German
origin. His father, Isaac Clark, was a native of New Jersey, but moved
to Miami County, Ohio, at a very early date numbering among the
pioneers of that county. He took up Government land and cleared a farm
from the woods which was full of heavy beech timber. His prosperity was
great and in course of time he owned quite a large and valuable farm.
By trade he was a blacksmith, and continued to work at it in connection
with his other employment. In 1830 he came to Sangamon County, this
State, where he bought a quarter of a section of land. Many of the
stones used in the construction of the State Capitol were taken from a
quarry on his farm in Sangamon County. He moved to Liverpool Township
and immediately settled on section 21, where he purchased two hundred
acres of land. He built a double log house, and a saw and grist mill on
the Little Sister Creek and operated it for ten years. His death
occurred after he had attained his sixty-sixth year, and he died a
member of the Methodist Church. Mr. Clark's mother, who previous to her
marriage was Miss Sarah Royal, was born in Ohio and lived to be
fifty-four years old. To his parents were born six children, all of
whom grew to maturity: Lydia, Mrs. Snell; Ezekiel F.; Margaret, Mrs.
Grigsby; Amy, Mrs. Bryant, and James. Mr. Clark's maternal grandfather,
James Royal, was a native of England, and upon coming to the United
States settled in Ohio and later came to Sangamon County, Ill., where
he died at the age of ninety.
Our subject received only a moderate amount of education in the
log schoolhouses common to those days. At an early age he was employed
to help clear up the land, and remained at the home farm until he was
twenty-one years of age, at which time he commenced working for
himself. For five years he worked on the old home place and then bought
forty acres, ten of which was improved. He was very industrious and in
a period of six years was able to increase the size of his farm. He has
been an exceedingly hard working man and is noted for his strict
integrity and intelligence. He has made over ten thousand rails on his
place and raised stock besides attending to his farming duty. He has
been three times married. First, in 1849, to Miss Elcy Fitzgerald, a
native of Kentucky, who lived to be forty-six years of age. To this
union were born four children, viz: Emry W.; Jessie B.; Orville W., and
Lydia. His wife was a member of the Methodist Church and is buried at
Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. In 1863, Mr. Clark married Miss Sarah E. Grisby,
and to this marriage were born four children, viz: Delta M.; Carrie;
Nellie, and William M. Mrs. Clark was a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church and died at the age of twenty-six, being buried at Mt.
Pleasant Cemetery. Once more in 1879, our subject was married, this
time to Miss Huldy McCumber, a native of Fulton County. To their union
were born five children, viz: Sadie E.; Phoebe; Burleigh W.; Ivy P.,
and a babe unnamed.
Mr. and Mrs. Clark are both members of the Mt. Pleasant
Methodist Episcopal Church, and he is a member of no political party,
but votes for the man he thinks capable of filling the desired
position. At the present time he is a prosperous and highly respected
man and has the pleasure of looking back upon a long course of life
well spent.
