Bios: CHARLES S. CLARK: Lawrence County, Pennsylvania

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  Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Lawrence Co transcribers.
  Coordinated by Ed McClelland

  Copyright 2004.  All rights reserved.
  http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
 
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  Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens
  Lawrence County Pennsylvania
  Biographical Publishing Company, Buffalo, N.Y., 1897
  
  An html version with search engine may be found at 
  
  http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/lawrence/1897/
  
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    CHARLES S. CLARK,
    
    [p. 570] proprietor of the Locust Grove Stock Farm of Hickory township, and
  a leading capitalist of the same township, was born March 17, 1844, and
  remained under the parental roof until he had acquired a sufficient education
  in the district schools of his native township to enable him to cope more
  intelligently than would otherwise have been the case with the many problems
  of life. When a young man he went to the oil districts of Pennsylvania, which
  were then coming into prominence and attracting many speculators, and engaged
  as a common laborer; after a while he was enabled to purchase with his
  accumulated savings what proved to be a very valuable oil claim, large in
  extent and wonderfully rich in promise, which proved to be a veritable mint
  to Mr. Clark, who rapidly accumulated a fortune. He invested freely, with no
  thought but of a successful future and eventually became one of the largest
  owners of oil-wells in the vicinity where he was located. For twenty-two
  years, until 1890, he was engaged in the oil business, and finally
  relinquished his interests for large considerations, and came to what he has
  made the foremost stock farm in Lawrence County. This property he purchased
  in 1882, and it comprises 160 acres of valuable land, rich and fertile,
  adapted in every respect to general farming and to stockraising; since 1890
  he has devoted most of his time and attention to the raising of fine, blooded
  horses for the markets; among the many very valuable animals which he has
  brought out and developed are the following with records: St. Vincent,
  2:131Ú2; Minnetonka, five years old, 2:291Ú2; Goshen Maid, eight years, 2:24;
  Tornado Charm, four years, 2:241Ú4; and Perry Vincent, four years, 2:223Ú4;
  all of these are from the Wilkes family. Mr. Clark is one of the directors of
  the First National Bank, and has been a director in an Oil Trust. He is a
  Republican in politics, but has never been very actively interested.
    
    In 1876, he was married to Louise Kennedy of Millerstown, Butler Co., Pa.,
  and they have been blessed with one child, Richard. Mr. Clark is regarded as
  one of the most substantial business men of Lawrence County, and has the
  satisfaction of knowing that what he has accumulated has been by his own
  untiring industry and far-sighted judgment. He is a notable example of that
  type of man so popular to Americans, the self-made man.
    
    His grandfather, George Clark, was born in Eastern Pennsylvania, and
  settled in Mercer County about 1800, in what is now known as Washington
  township, Lawrence County; he was a farmer by occupation and followed kindred
  pursuits all of his life, and was considered a fairly prosperous man, who was
  able to live in comfort and to enjoy many of the good things of life. He was
  a Democrat in his views on political subjects, but never aspired to hold
  political office. He married a Miss Jordan, who was born in Washington
  township, and to him and his wife were born a large family of children, of
  whom the father of our subject, John Clark, was the third in seniority. They
  were Presbyterians in their religious faith. Our subject's grandfather died
  in 1877, aged seventy-five years, and was followed ten years later by his
  wife at the age of eighty-two years.
    
    John Clark was born in Washington township, and attended the schools there
  until he reached manhood's estate, when he became a farmer, and very
  successfully followed the pursuits of agriculture all the years of his active
  period, his death taking place in 1877, when he was aged fifty-five years. He
  married Lucinda Palmer, a daughter of John Palmer, and to them were given
  four children: James W., who married a Miss Rodgers of Plain Grove township,
  and has six childrenÑLewis, Cassius, Nettie, Mary, and Clara; Charles S., of
  whom this biography is written; Sylvester, who married a Miss Maxwell of Erie
  Co., Pa.: Melissa, who married W. H. Caswell of New Castle, Pa., and has two
  children, Anna and Charles. They were Methodists in their religious views and
  affiliations. Our subject's mother, at the age of seventy-seven years, still
  survives her husband.