An American Family History

Eliza Ann Ricketts Baker Clark was born about 1840 in Cole  Creek Township, Montgomery County, Indiana. Her parents were Isaac Ricketts and Catherine Simpson.

She married Addison Baker on April 3, 1863 in Wayne County, Iowa. He was born about 1835 in Maine. Addison was the son of William Baker and Mary Polly Smith. 

Eliza and Addison had two daughters who were both born in Iowa. Martha Baker was born about 1864 and Lorna Baker was born about 1865.

Addison Baker enlisted on October 6, 1864 in the Union Army.  He was 27 years old. He enlisted in Company B of the 16th Infantry Regiment of Iowa. He died of disease on June 16, 1865.

Eliza married John Clark in Lucas County on September 14, 1868. John Clark was born in Indiana in January, 1843. He was the son of William Clark and Margaret Wallace.

Eliza and John's children were George Edward Clark (1870), Adella Clark (1872), Floyd Clark (1876), Margaret (Maggie) Clark Smith (1879), Edith May Clark Wheeler (1881, married Samuel Pearl Wheeler) and Edna Clark (January, 1884).

At the time of the 1880 census, the household consisted of John age 28, Eliza age 38, George age 10, Dora age 16, Cora age 9, Floyd age 4, and Margaret age 1. John was a farmer and they were living in Fairview, Livingston, Missouri.

Eliza died November 12, 1906  and John also died in 1906.

The Chariton Leader, Chariton, Iowa
Thursday, November 15, 1906

Mrs. Elizabeth Clark was born Oct. 20, 1840 and died Nov. 11, 1906 at her home near Oakley, at the age of 66 years and 23 days, after a continued illness with dropsy. She was the wife of John Clark, whose death occurred only a few weeks ago, and the mother of eight children who were present at the last sad rites.

She was a member of the Christian Church at Oakley, a true devoted earnest worker for the Master, and her last days were full of new hope of a Heavenly home.

Funeral services conducted by Rev. Brown, were held at the Christian Church at Oakley, Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 2 o'clock p.m. and interment made in Mt. Zion Cemetery. Her daughters from a distance who were present were Mrs. Villa Smith of Indiana; Mrs. Dora Miller of Plano; and Mrs. Maggie Smith of Des Moines.

William Clark, one of the early settlers of Independence Township, located on section 34, where he now resides, in the autumn of 1856. His homestead, which contains 160 acres, is one of the best farms in the township, and in addition to this he owns forty acres on section 27, a half a mile from his home. He has worked hard to make his farm valuable. He has four and a half miles of fencing around his home farm, and his building improvements are excellent and in good repair. He is one of the most practical farmers in the county, his farm showing the result of having a thrifty and painstaking owner. He first visited Iowa in 1843 and entered eighty acres of Government land in Jefferson County, on which he located in 1846. He improved his land rapidly and soon had a fine farm of 150 acres, on which was one of the best orchards in the county. He sold his farm in 1856, and moved to Appanoose County.

He came to Iowa a poor man, and his present prosperity but illustrates what can be accomplished by industry and well-directed purpose, assisted by a good wife, a man's best gift. In addition to prosperity he has gained the confidence and esteem of a large circle of friends and acquaintances, which is more to be valued than riches. He and his wife are members of the United Brethren church, and live practical Christian lives, work and faith going hand in hand with them. In his early life Mr. Clark was in politics a Whig. In the days of Fremont he became a Republican, and in 1878 identified himself with the Greenback party. Mr. Clark is a native of Pennsylvania, born near Philadelphia, May 15, 1816.

His parents, John and Elizabeth Clark, were natives of Scotland, and came to the United States in 1816, landing in this country about three weeks before the birth of our subject, and a few years later established his home in new Lisbon, Ohio, where our subject was reared, and there they both died, the mother in 1835 and the father in 1839, both aged about ninety years. Of a family of thirteen children our subject is the sixth. Of the others only Mrs. Christie Baker, John, Mrs. Ann Gammel and Margaret are living. Mathew and David died while in the service of their country during the war of the Rebellion.

Mr. Clark was married September 18, 1841, at New Lisbon, Ohio, to Margaret Wallace, who was born in Ireland, June 16, 1818, and when six years of age accompanied her parents, Peter and Margaret Wallace, to the United States.

They have a family of eight children: John, of Lucas County, Iowa; Margaret A., at home; George, of Kingman County, Kansas; Eleanor, wife of Michael Haney, of Decatur County, Iowa; Sarah, wife of Hiram Haver, of Butler County, Kansas; Alpheus, of Wayne County; Laura, wife of James Carroll, of Decatur County, and William, at home. Their first-born died in infancy.

( Biographical and Historical Record of Wayne and Appanoose Counties, Iowa, Chicago: Inter-State Pub. Co., 1886. )

George Edward Clark
George E. Clark for many years a prominent citizen of the vicinity of Oakley died at his farm home on Saturday evening, July 19, 1937 at the age of 67 years, 2 months and 27 days. He had been in failing health for some time.

Surviving him are his wife and one daughter Leona of near Oakley and one brother Floyd Clark of Chariton; two sisters, Mrs. Delia Smith, Elkhart, Ind., and Mrs. Sam Wheeler of near Oakley.

Funeral services conducted by Rev. Browning were held at the Dunshee Funeral Home in Chariton, Monday afternoon at two o'clock and burial was in the Baptist cemetery north of Oakley.