San
Joaquin County
Biographies
CORNELIUS CLARK
Since an early period in the
development of California, Cornelius Clark has resided within the borders of
the Golden State, and is now an esteemed resident of San Joaquin County. He is a native of Lawrence County, Ohio, born
on August 18, 1853, a son of Wilson and Margaret Ann (Hereford) Clark, the
father a direct descendant of Abraham Clark, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence, while the mother was the daughter of General John
Hereford, who served under General Washington.
The family of Hereford’s was originally from
Herefordshire, England, and are descendants of early Norman kings. Grandfather John Hereford was twice married
and was the father of two large families.
Mrs. Margaret Ann Clark was the youngest of the
second set of children and died at the age of forty-five years, while the
father, Wilson Clark, lived to be eighty-seven years old. There were six children in their family: Anon Barnes, John A., Mary, Cornelius, the
subject of this review, Sarah E. and Charles.
Cornelius Clark received his
education in the public schools of his native state and came to California in
1881, first settling at Petaluma, where he remained until 1898, when he came to
Lodi and purchased ten acres of land on the corner of Wyandotte Avenue and
Cherokee Lane, a portion of the Larson subdivision, where he was the first
settler and built the first house on the tract; later he sold this to his
brother and bought another ten acres farther east on Wyandotte Avenue, and here
he built a house and resides at the present time.
The marriage of Mr. Clark occurred
on August 18, 1904, and united him with Mrs. Mary J. (Woodruff) Lee, a daughter
of Jackson and Lila (Roberts) Woodruff.
Mrs. Clark is a native of Adams County, Illinois. On April 27, 1864, she started to California
in a train of emigrants and drove an ox-team across the plains, coming via the
Salt Lake route and on November 5 of that year arrived in California. Soon after arrival, her husband, Mr. Lee was
taken ill and they returned east and remained there until his death in
1900. Returning to California she was
married to Mr. Clark. Besides his
agricultural activities, Mr. Clark is engaged in the egg production business,
having several hundred laying hens and pullets, and is a member of the Poultry
Breeders’ Association and also of the Farm Bureau.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1565-1566. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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