John Clark Jr. (abt. 1740 - bef. 1786)

Born about 1740 in Colony of Virginia [uncertain]

Husband of Nancy Ann (Turner) Porter — married about 1780 (to about 1786) in Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before 19 Dec 1786 before about age 46 in Truro, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Allison Mackler [send private message]

Biography

This profile is part of the Clark Name Study.

John Clark Jr. was born around 1740 to John Clark Sr. and Barbara in the Colony of Virginia.^[1][2]

John's father purchased 204 acres in 1773 and John bore witness to the indenture.^[1]

John's father died before 17 April 1775 and two days later, the first shots of the American Revolution were fired in Massachusetts on 19 April 1775.^[3]

John married Ann around 1777.^[2][4][5][6]

John died between 20 September and 19 December 1786 in Truro, Fairfax, Virginia.^[2][4]

Military

John Clark Jr. performed Patriotic Service in Virginia in the American Revolution.

John Clark was a farmer in Fairfax County, Virginia. During the Revolution, John provided supplies (unknown if by choice or by force) to the Continental Army.^[2]

In 1782, the February Court in Fairfax, Virginia, honored the claim by John for 250 pounds of beef, for the Continental Army and reimbursed him £ 4.3.4 (four pounds, 3 shillings and 4 pence).^[2]

Last Will and Testament

Truro, Fairfax, Viriginia
20 September 1786^[4]

In the name of God Amen. I John Clark of the County of Fairfax and Parish of Truro in the State of Virginia being sick and weak, but of perfect memory and understanding do therefore make this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following.

Imprimis. I recommend my soul to God who gave it hoping through the mercies and sufferings of my redeemer and by his intersession I may obtain full and free pardon, my burial I leave to be performed by my Executors hereafter named in such manner as they may judge proper and the expence[sic] arising there from to be paid out of my Estate, and as to what worldly Estate I have I dispose thereof as follows.

Item. I lend to my beloved wife Ann Clark, one third part of my Estate for and during hur[sic] natural life and at hur[sic] decease hur[sic] part so lent to return to my Estate and be equally divided between my two sons John Payne Clark and Sanford Clark and my daughter Elizabeth Clark to be possessed by them and their Heirs in fee simple for ever.

Item. I give and bequeath to my beloved son John Payne Clark one third part of my Estate of what sort (inserted above) so ever to him and his Heirs forever and in case he should die under age and without issue my desire is that his part of Slaves and personal Estate to be equally divided between my second son Sanford Clark and my daughter Elizabeth Clark to them and their Heirs forever.

Item. I give and bequeath to my beloved son Sanford Clark one third part of my Estate of what sort so ever to him and his Heirs forever, and in case he should die under age and without issue my desire is that his part of Slaves and personal Estate be equally divided between my son John Payne Clark and my daughter Elizabeth Clark to them and their Heirs forever

Item. I give and bequeath to my beloved daughter Elizabeth Clark Ten Shillings sterling she being fully provided for by a Deed made hur[sic] for that purpose and Recorded in the County Court of Fairfax.

Lastly. I constitute and appoint my relation Sanford Payne and my friend William Deneale Executors of this my Last Will and Testament revoking all others by me heretofore made and at the same time desiring that my worthy friend and relation Sanford Payne take upon himself the guardianship of my three children and immediately after the division of my Estate to take charge of their Estate so allotted them in order to bring them up and educate them as he may think proper.

In Witness where of I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this 20 day of September 1786.
John Clark
Signed and published in presence of
Edward Deneale
William Moore
Edward Lelcher
William Smith

Memorandum and schedule signed by the Testator and sealed which he desires may be taken as part of his will. I give and bequeath to my two sons my Tract of land lying in the County of Fairfax containing two hundred and four acres adjoining the land of Lewis Ellzey, Richard Ratcliff and Lewis Saunders, to them and their Heirs forever, to be equally divided and for them to possess it as tenants in common not as Joint tenants and in case either of them die under age and without issue the one so surviving shall be only entitled to one half and my daughter Elizabeth the other half of the one so dying.
Signed sealed and published in presence of us.
Edward Deneale
William Moore
Edward Lelcher
William Smith

At a Court Continued held for the County of Fairfax 19 December 1786. This Will was presented in Court by Sanford Payne one of the Executors herein named who made the oath thereto, an the same being proved by the oath of William Moore and William Smith is admitted to Record, and the said Executor having performed what the laws require, a certificate is granted him for obtaining a probate there of in due form.

Probate

Appraisal of Estate

Fairfax County Court
13 January 1787^[7]

An Appraisment of Mr. John Clark's Estate this 13th day of January 1787

Second Page

In obediance[sic] to an Order of the Worshipful Court of Fairfax we the Subscribers have Inventoryed[sic] and appraised the Estate of John Clark deceased this 15th of January 1787. James Deneale
George Winn
Peter Mouzy

At a Court held for the County of Fairfax 19th February 1787. This Inventory is returned and ordered to be recorded.

Contest Will

Fairfax County Court
9 June 1787^[5][6]

TO ALL TO WHOM these presents shall come, ANN PORTER Wife of ELIAS PORTER and late the Widow of JOHN CLARK send Greeting: Whereas said JOHN CLARK in his lifetime made his last Will and Testament and therein devised part of his Estate to me with which provision made for me by his will I am dissatisfied. Now Know ye that I do by these presents renounce and relinquish all benefit and advantage which I have or can claim under the Will of JOHN CLARK and do hereby declare that I will receive such part of the Estate of JOHN CLARK as I by Law should have been entitled to in case he had died Intestate. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 9th day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and eighty seven
Ann Porter
in presence of Richard Ratcliff, George Winn, Thomas Songster

At a Court held for the County of Fairfax 18th June 1797
This Relinquishment was proved by the oath of RICHARD RATCLIFF and THOMAS SONGSTER to be the act and deed of ANN PORTER and ordered to be recorded.

Slaves

• Harry
• Benjamin
• Venus
• Charles
• Daniel
• Nase
• Nan

Research Notes

• John's date of birth is a guess. In 1773 he was old enough to sign as a witness when his father purchased land from Lewis Sanders in Truro Parish.^[1] In 1775, John Jr. gifts a slave to his niece, Alicia, and then later, in 1777, his mother, Barbara, gifts the Sanders land and her household goods to him and the deed states that John Sr. is deceased. Barbara also provides a gift to her granddaughter, Alicia. So one could assume that both John Jr. and Susanna are of child bearing age by the 1750s. If John and Susanna were born in the 1730s to 1740s, their parents were possibly born in the 1710s and Susanna's daughter might have been born in the 1750s to 1760s. Susanna's daughter is old enough to receive the gifts, possibly for getting married. ~ Allison Mackler, 5 November 2022
• 250 Pounds of Beef Supplied to Continental Army
  • Today cows weigh more than they did 30 years ago, let alone in 1787, that said, today a 1,000 pound steer provides about 615 pounds of beef immediately after slaughter and about 430 pounds after hanging to dry. - AgTech, https://agtech.folio3.com/blogs/how-much-does-a-cow-weigh/
• Will and Probate
  • Children
    • The will recorded that Sanford was the second son
    • The probate record on 19 December 1796 does not mention Sanford, only John Payne and Elizabeth as the orphans. What happened to Sanford?
  • Identifying Sanford Payne
    • Sanford likely lived in Truro
    • The probate record on 19 December 1796 recorded that Elias Porter was the guardian of children. Sanford Payne possibly died?
    • I've always suspected that we're related to the Payne family given the prominence of the Payne name being passed down so many generations and recorded (middle names are rarely recorded) as well as a number of DNA matches with the surname Payne. John's will states that his executor, Sanford Payne, is a relative and he clearly named his two sons after him. Now, how are we related to the Payne's (and not by the marriage of his son that was a child at the time John wrote his will). ~ Allison Mackler, 16 September 2022
• The History of Truro Parish In Virginia by Rev. Philip Slaughter, D.D., published in 1907, states that he used the records from the Vestry Book of Truro Parish, which contains the records of the parish from 1732 to 1785 and that the Vestry Book was committed to the Vestry of Pohick Church. The original manuscript for the book was written by Philip Slaughter, but unpublished and given to the Pohick Vestry. Edward Goodwin re-wrote the manuscript. He made corrections and added additional records from the Vestry Book, then it was published in 1907.
  • Transcribed here: https://www.newrivernotes.com/topical_books_1907_virginia_historytruroparish.htm
  • Google Books: https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_Truro_Parish_in_Virginia/izkSAAAAYAAJ
  • Archived images of Vestry Book: https://web.archive.org/web/20160308024335/http://www.pohick.org/vestrybook.html
• See Research notes under wife, Nancy Ann Turner
  • Locate 1820 Census in Indiana
• Research points:
  • Ancestry.com Email Thread
  • Ancestry.com Forum Thread
• Will and probate records for a Josias Clark in Truro Parish leave property to the heirs of his son John Clark, deceased before 1821. This is not this John Clark as the names of the heirs of that John Clark do not match.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Fairfax County, Virginia, Deed Books, Volume K1 1772-1768, p. 396-403; consulted as "Deed books (Fairfax County, Virginia), 1742-1866," images database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/202100 : accessed 4 November 2022); "John Clark Jr." bore witness to his father, "John Clark's" land purchase.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} Daughters of the American Revolution, “Ancestor Database.” database, Genealogical Research System (http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/ : accessed 19 December 2017), patriotic service, John Clark, ancestor no. A022482.
3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, American Revolutionary War, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Revision 1 November 2022, 03:00 UTC (https://en.wikipedia.org : accessed 5 November 2022).
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} "Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900," Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 September 2022), entry for John Clark, Will, Fairfax County, Virginia, Will Book E, No. 1, p 183-184; citing Fairfax County Will Books, Vol D1-F1 1776-1794.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "Public Member Photos & Scanned Documents," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 March 2017), "Ann Clark Court Ruling," by William Brown, profile for Nancy Ann Turner (1760 - 1816, b. Fairfax, Virginia, d. Grayson, Kentucky) undocumented data shared on 14 September 2016.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} "Public Member Photos & Scanned Documents," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 March 2017), "Ann Clark Court Ruling," by Ellen Martina, profile for Nancy Ann Turner (1760 - 1816, b. Fairfax, Virginia, d. Grayson, Kentucky) undocumented data shared on 18 September 2016.
7. ↑ "Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900," Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 September 2022), entry for John Clark, Estate Appraisment, Fairfax County, Virginia, Will Book E, No. 1, p 193-194; citing Fairfax County Will Books, Vol D1-F1 1776-1794.