Biographies
For
Muscatine County Iowa
1889



Source: Portrait and Biographical Album, Muscatine County, Iowa, 1889, page 455

WILLIAM A. CLARK, an honored pioneer of Muscatine County, now residing in West Liberty, was one of the first men to begin the work of civilization and progress in Wapsinonoc Township. He it was who turned the first furrow and planted the first crop. This brief record of his life will therefore be doubly welcome to the citizens of the township, and also the county. Our subject is a native of Columbia County, N. Y., where he was born Dec 13, 1809, and the eldest son of Azariah and Sarah ( Ailsworth ) Clark, the former having been born near Northampton, Mass., while the birthplace of the latter was in the State of New York. Azariah Clark was a minister of the Congregational Church, and his death occurred in Litchfield County, Conn., about the year 1831. His wife , who was a most estimable lady, survived him many years. They reared a family of six children, though only two are now living : William A., of this sketch, and a daughter, who is now the wife of Allen Barstow, of New York.

The education of our subject was received in the common schools, and he grew to manhood upon a farm. In the fall of 1836, accompanied by a brother, he started from Columbia County, N.Y., for Illinois. The journey was made by lake as far as Detroit, Mich., where they separated, his brother returning to New York State, and William going to Canada, where he purchased a pony and then started on horseback for Princeton, Illinois, where he had relatives living. His intention was to purchase land and make for himself a home in the Prairie State, but finding the prices higher than he wished to pay he continued his travels until he reached the Black Hawk Purchase, the journey again being accomplished on horseback. Landing at Keokuk, Iowa, he there remained for a short time, and then returned to Princeton, but the following January, 1837, he once more crossed the Father of Waters into Iowa, and after riding over the country in search of a suitable location selected Wapsinonoc Township as the scene of his future operations. He purchased a claim on what is now section 10, and also took claims for a number of families, selling them at the original price. His own farm consisted of 160 acres of wild, uncultivated land, and his plow turned the first furrow in the Township. Soon after his arrival he occupied a little log cabin that had been built by a Mr. Huntsman, on the claim purchased by Mr. Clark, and there lived in true pioneer style for four years. At the end of that time he built a more commodious residence. Our subject also erected the first mill in the neighborhood, which was used for sawing lumber. In those primitive days his nearest trading places were Moscow and the little village of Bloomington, now the prosperous and thriving city of Muscatine.

In the spring of 1837, William Bagley, accompanied by his family, took up his residence in Muscatine County. Mr. Clark formed the acquaintance of the family, and wooed and won the daughter Louisa, their marriage being celebrated on the 27th of January. 1839. In the first cabin erected in Wapsinonoc Township the young couple began their domestic life, and on the old homestead nine children were born to the happy couple : Sarah, who became the wife of Isaac P. Bore, but is now deceased ; William A., a broker of New York City ; John S., who died at the age of twenty-two ; Catherine, wife of Joseph Cornwall, of Oakland Cal.; Elizabeth, who died at nineteen years of age ; Mary, who wedded Charles Chesbro, of West Liberty, Iowa ; Robert, a resident farmer of Wapsinonoc Township ; Joseph H., the youngest, who is at home ; and Fannie, who died at the age of six and a half years.

The life of our subject has been one of industry and toil. By able management, energy and hard labor, he was enabled to add to his original farm until at one time he owned 1,000 acres of fine land. By perseverance, which is one of his chief characteristics, he overcame the difficulties and trials of pioneer life, and success crowned his efforts. He is now living a retired life in West Liberty, his sons having the management of the farm. In his earlier years Mr. Clark was a supporter of the Whig party, and a great admirer of Henry Clay, but at the dissolution of that party and the organization of the Republican party, he joined its ranks, and has since continued to fight under its banner. Over fifty years have elapsed since Mr. Clark became a resident of Muscatine County. The State then formed a part of the Territory of Wisconsin, the prairies were then in their primitive lovliness, the trees were then uncut in the forest, and the smoke of the Indian wigwam has scarcely cleared away, but the little cabin which sheltered him from the storms of winter and the summer's sun was occupied, and he began the work of cultivating his farm. Other settlers soon came, and their united efforts have placed Muscatine County where it is today--on a par with many in the State, and our subject's labors form no inconsiderable part in this great and grand work.

Mrs. Clark is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Her parents, William and Lois ( Loveland ) Bagley, who were also pioneers of the county, have long since passed away. The father who was a native of New Hampshire, died in September, 1838, and the mother, who was a native of Connecticut, departed this life in 1856. The parents of Mrs. Clark were of English origin, their ancestors having emigrated to this country early in the Colonial days, and some members of the family took part in the Revolutionary War. The Bagley family first settled in Rhode Island, and the Lovelands at Litchfield, Conn. Mr. and Mrs. Bagley were married at Castleton, Vt., and soon after emigrated to Athens County, Ohio, and were among the pioneers of that country. In the spring of 1836 they again moved westward with the tide of human emigration, and located at Princeton, Illinois., but remained there only a year, and then continued their journey to Muscatine County, Iowa, where they resided until death. They were the parents of eleven children, two of whom died in infancy, and nine grew to man and womanhood, and of this numbver six are living at this time ( March, 1889 ). The oldest, Adaline, is now Mrs. Kirkpatrick, and resides near Atlantic, Iowa ; Mary A. became Mrs. Wolf, and died in California ;Louisa, Mrs. Clark, is third in order of birth ; Alanson is engaged in farming near Atlantic, Iowa ; Nancy, wedded a Mr. Cole, and is still living ; Elizabeth, became the wife of Davis Mann, and died at Dubuque, many years ago ; Amy, now Mrs. Healey, a resident of Colfax, Cal.; Lucena is now Mrs. Frank Farguhar, and resides in Audubon County, Iowa ; and Horace, who was a soldierin the late Civil War, died in a hospital at Memphis, Tenn., from a fever contracted while in the service of his country. The parents of this family were almost lifelong members of the Baptist Church, and were devout Christians.

Our subjects ancestors were Puritans who emigrated from England. Lieut. William Clark, the founder of the family died at Northampton, Mass., July 19, 1690, at the age of eighty-one years. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Clark are given in connection with this sketch.


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