Ellen Maria Clark Watkins
(1858-1926)

Personal experience reminds us of a family trait, awareness of context. Most will find in this correspondence that it is a trait that extends backward to our fore bearers. " I am deeply appreciative of this habit of awareness."  ~wlw  

Ellen Maria Clark, next youngest of seven, was born in Hill County Texas 100 miles to the nearest rail track. Four years old when her father died serving in the CSA, she was fully orphaned at twelve years. After living with sisters for some 2 years she traveled to Lancaster, Wisconsin to live in the family of her father's brother John.

This brother, John Garvin Clark, had been a Union officer during the War that claimed two of his 3 brothers.  There will soon be a section devoted to this remarkable "Renaissance Man" and his son William. It is to him that the great majority of these Clark letters were written.

In Lancaster Ellen met and joined lives with Rolandus A Watkins. He was a descendent of New England Pilgrims and Puritans and before that the Welch and the Norman invaders .

This section is Ellen's and presents the Clarks and Proffitts. The larger portion of each line descends from the "borderlanders" of England.

The Clark lineage in this country was meticulously established by John Clark's granddaughter, Alice McBrien, who collaborated with our Grandfather. Her daughter Mary has just recently added a history taken from her letters and documents. It is wonderfully rich with detail.

Charles Clark of Augusta, Georgia served in the War of the Revolution. We are descended through his daughter Isabella. She was married to Thomas Pye who later took her surname. Little is known of the Pye ancestry though Thomas is reported to have been born in Wiggin, Lancashire England

The Proffitt lineage with some history has been available online for many years.  As far as I can determine most remains unchallenged.  Jacobite Sylvester was captured at the Battle of Preston. He was transported as a prisoner exile on the Elizabeth and Ann to Virginia. Our letters independently confirm our lineage from James Proffitt and Louisa White of Marion County, Missouri.

There is so much admixture of gene pools it seems hardly fair to focus only on a few discoverable lines. "But I have to say it was not until I read and transcribed the whole body of letters that I came to appreciate that there is still identifiable unique endowment from each line that makes me."" ~ wlw

To review Descent Trees: Left Click Here
(Navigation Tips -- Click arrows to more between family descent trees, Click "N" to read notes and access Surname index by clicking "index"

For access to transcriptions of letters with some descriptive and explanatory text added. (Much of this is password protected until the print publication is anticipated , sometime in the fall of 2006

Letters pages 1-100: Mostly Hirst & Watkinsm

Letters pages 101-200:   Clark Watkins, Oklahoma Years

Letters pages 201-299: Research and J. G. Clark Bio

Photographs

Time Line

For Narrative History:  Left Click Here


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