Recently a Clark family, which settled in Coffee County and spread into Covington, was reviewed in several columns. Another Clarke/Clark family line settled in Northern Covington County, which would fall in Crenshaw County when it was formed in 1866. This family will be the focus of today’s writing.

This Clark family married into the Bozeman family, which was covered in last week’s column and the Dozier family outlined much earlier. Families in South Alabama during the 1800s especially married into neighboring families, which presents interesting interrelationships.

Ancestry.com lists an Edward Clark as the earliest ancestor of this family in their records. Nothing else is known about him other than he and a son named Thomas Clark who was born in 1630 in Isle of Wight, Va., and died in 1675 in the same location. Thomas was married to Elizabeth Penny who was born in 1635 and died in 1693. They had a son whom they named Thomas Clark II, born in 1650 in Isle of Wight and died there in 1700. Thomas II was married to Elizabeth Sampson, born in 1648 and died in 1700.

Thomas Clark II and Elizabeth chose to name a son Thomas Clark III who was born in 1677 in Isle of Wight. He had settled in Bertie, N.C., when he died in 1728. Thomas III was married to Susannah Williams who was born in 1677 and died in 1737. It is no surprise that they named a son Thomas Clark IV who was born in 1702 in Isle of Wight. He had moved to Southampton, Va., by the time of his death in 1752. He was married to Sarah Norwood who was born in 1702 and died in 1750. (Notice how short the average life span was at the time for these people.)

Thomas Clark IV and his wife, Sarah, had a son whom they named John Clark. John was the fifth generation of this family to be born in Isle of Wight, VA. His year of birth was 1728. He was the ancestor who began to move the family south, and when he died in 1794, he had settled in Edgefield District, S.C. He was married to Judith Mallett who was born in 1738 and died in 1815. John and Judith Clark had a son named William Clark who was born in 1763 in Lunenburg, Va., and eventually moved further south and settled in Putnam County, Ga., where he died in 1831. William was married in 1780 to Mary Harvey who was born in 1776 and died in 1830.

William and Mary Clark had a son named John Clark who was born in 1798 in Putnam County, Ga. and died there in 1867. John was married in 1814 to Elizabeth Wells. They were the parents of a son named William David Clark, who was the ancestor of the descendants who resided in Covington and Crenshaw Counties. William was born in 1818 in Putnam County, Ga., and came later to South Alabama.

In the 1860 federal census, William David Clark and family were enumerated as residents of the Rose Hill community of Covington County. He was 42 years of age and his wife, Martha Ann (Buckner) (1823-1913), also a native of Putnam County, was 37. At the time they had the following children in their household: William E., 14; Jeremiah L., 12; Mary J., 9; Solomon David, 7; and Edwin D, 3. A year later in 1861, another son, James Henry, was born, and there may have been others. The family most likely moved to Covington County when so many did to acquire the low-priced land during the late 1850s. One record shows that William David died in 1862 in Columbus, Miss., which is not easily understood.

This writer was unable at this time to find data on most of William David and Mary Clark’s children. His youngest son, James Henry, born 1861, died 1944, was married to Annie Elizabeth Odom. More information was available on the third son, Solomon David Clark, who was born circa 1855 in Putnam County, Ga. He was married to Malissie Caroline Dozier, and they reared a large family of 12 children. In 1880, the family was residing in the Leon community of Crenshaw County and had two children. By 1900, they were in Dozier with 10 children, and in 1910, they were still in Dozier and had 2 additional children. During those years, Solomon was engaged in farming to support his large family.

Solomon David and Malissie (Malissa ?) Clark reared the following children: Robert Brown “Bob,” b. 1876, d. 1958, m. Effie M. Jackson; William Paul, b. 1879, d. 1944, m. Arrie Hogg; Mary Ann Elizabeth, b. 1881, d. 1910; Lavonia May, b. 1883, d. 1970, m. William Walter Fail; Arrie Rebekah, b. 1885, d. 1971, m. Wesley Oresta Bozeman (1879-1969); Perry David, b. 1888, d. 1966, m. Hattie Wilson; Thomas Fletcher, b. 1890, d. 1967; James Joseph “Jay,” b. 1893, d. 1970, m. Foy Alma Davis (1900-1975); Malissa Alene, b. 1896, d. 1919, m. John Morgan Nelson (1897-1945); Bernice, b. 1899, d. 1901; Claude Bernell, b. 1902, d. 1970, m. Martha Jean Westbrook; and Audrey Pearl, b. 1905, m. Euell Thomas Turner.

The oldest son, Robert Brown Clark, and his wife, Effie Jackson, reared the following four children: Robert Eugene, b. 1908, d. 1985; Ewell Jackson, b. 1910; Donald David, b. 1912; and Jesse Green, b. 1913.

The second daughter, Lavonia May Clark, and her husband, William Walter Fail, reared the following three children: William Guy, m. Agnes L. Hardwick; Lillian, m. (1) Joe Deck Sanders (2) James E. Shepherd; and Lucille, m. Henry Gordon Ennis.

The third daughter, Arrie Rebekah Clark, and her husband, Wesley Oresta Bozeman (1879-1969) reared the following six children: Jacquelyn Louise, b. 1909, d. 1995, m. Robert Winter Barrow; Mary Elizabeth, b. 1911, m. Archie Edward Everage; Wesley Oresta Jr., b. 1915, d. 2001, m. Willie Mae Davis; James David Sr., b. 1917, m. Mary Frances Russell; Earl Lomax, b. 1920, d. 1990, m. Betty Carolyn Brown (1922-2000); and Edward Clarke, b. 1922, m. Martha Whaley Wood.

The grandchildren of Arrie Rebekah and Wesley Oresta Bozeman will be outlined next. Their oldest daughter, Jacquelyn Louise (Bozeman) and her husband, Robert Winter Barrow, had two sons: Benny Bozeman, b. 1930, m. Esther Leola Jacobs; and Robert Winter Jr., b. 1944, m. Grace Diane Lockley.

Arrie’s next daughter, Mary Elizabeth Bozeman and her husband, Archie Edward Everage, reared the following three children: Charles Wesley, b. 1941, m. Sarah Rebecca Barrett; Archie Edward Jr., b. 1943, m. (1) Louise Eileen Fernandez (1944-1984) (2) Karen Monroe Burgess; and Eva Rebecca, b. 1945, m. Joseph Barton Starr.

The oldest son, Wesley Oresta Bozeman Jr., and his wife, Willie Mae Davis, reared the following daughter, Lyssa Nell, b. 1952, m. (1) Phil Lanier Richardson (1952-1978) (2) John Michael Rutland.

The second son, James David Bozeman Sr., and his wife, Mary Frances (Russell), reared the following five children: Beverly Ann Reese, b. 1939, m. Robert Luverne Wallace; James David Jr., b. 1946, m. Barbara Ellen Grimmett; Wesley Russell, b. 1949, m. Kathryn Shields Pace; Charles Lawton, b. 1951, m. Rose Ahee; and George Patrick, b. 1952, m. Angela Marie Verdugo.

The next son, Earl Lomax Bozeman, and his wife, Betty Carolyn (Brown), reared two children: Carol Lyn, b. 1947, m. (1) Terrence Dee Lafin (2) James Darrell Whorlrey (3) James Donald Miller; and Earl Lomax Jr., b. 1949, m. Lorna Leigh Hulse.

The youngest son, Edward Clarke Bozeman, and his wife, Martha Whaley (Wood), reared two children: Edward Clarke Jr., b. 1948, m. Martha Carrington Pope; and Kenneth Wood, b. 1951, m. Joanne Beth Hayes.

Indeed, the Clark descendants married into some influential families of this area. One of these, James David Bozeman Jr. did considerable research, which was a major source for this writing. Another, Benny Bozeman Barrow, shared his family records as well. Ancestry.com was the source of the early generations.

Anyone who might find an error in the above is requested to contact this writer, Curtis Thomasson, at 20357 Blake Pruitt Road, Andalusia, AL 36420; 334-804-1442; or Email: cthomasson@centurytel.net.