In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1908) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1841
From Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens (1908), A portrait and biographical record of Portage and Summit counties, Ohio (1898)
ENJAMIN F. CLARK, recorder of l/* Summit county, was born in Colum-
J diana county, Ohio, January 24, 1841, a son of George Calhoun and Susan
A. (Lee) Clark.
[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]
Gen. Robert E. Lee, and daughter of William Lee, who married a Miss Atchison and resided Albemarle county, Va. After marriage Mr. Clark came to Ohio and located in New Lisbon. Having united himself with the Disciples' church and entered the ministry, he devoted his life to that service, chiefly preaching in Columbiana, Trumbull, Stark, Wayne and Summit counties, Ohio, from the age of thirty years until his death, at the age of fifty-nine years, in Wooster, ''ayne county, August 12, iiS6o, while he was there in charge of the Disciples' church. His widow survived him until March 4, 1865, when she died also in Wooster. Their family comprised eight children, viz: William H., who died at Nashville, Tenn., at the age of thirty years; Mary A., widow of Lieut. George W. Pomeroy, of Akron; Sarah, who died in infancy; Nancy Lee, who died in Wooster in 1870, the wife of A. J. Harvey, a soldier of the Civil war; Sylvanus, who died in Millersburg, Holmes county, in 1872, from the effects of wounds received at the battle of Pea Ridge, while serving as sergeant in Capt. Hickenloope's battery; Elizabeth F., who was first married to Stephen A. Goodrich, a soldier of company I, One Hundred and Second Ohio volunteer infantry, captured at Birmingham, Ala., and murdered by guerrillas, and whose second husband was E/ra Tryon, a veteran of the Mexican war, and later was wounded while serving in the Si.xth Ohio battery in the Civil war, but who died on his farm at Nelson Center, Portage county, in 1893; George W., a machinist of Kansas City, Mo., and a member for three years of company H, Sixteenth Ohio volunteer infantry; and Benjamin F., the subject.
Benjamin F. Clark was reared in northeastern Ohio, was educated in the public schools — principally of Massillon — and at the age of sixteen years entered the office of Dr.
A. Met/ the noted oculist and surgeon of
Massillon, studied under him for three years, and was prepared for his first course of lectures when the Civil war broke out, and he enlisted, August 13, 1 86 1, in company\- H, Sixteenth Ohio Aolunteer infantry. He was wounded in the knee by a piece of shell at the siege of Vicksburg, Miss., late in 1862, was sent home, and, after careful nursing, recovered and re-enlisted March 20, 1864, entering company B, Mcloughlin's squad of cavalry, and participated in the engagements at Resaca, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, around Atlanta and the raid on Macon, where he was taken by the enemy and sent to Andersonville, where he was confined nine months. He was one of the first 100 selected to be sent to.Annapolis, Md., for parole, and, like the others, was a mere skeleton, unable to walk, from starvation. As soon as able to be transported he was returned to his home at 'foster, Ohio, but here collapsed, and for three months was on the verge of the grave. His good mother nursed him to life again, but at the sacrifice of her own; for, on the third day after he was was able to sit up, she lay down and three days later yielded up her faithful spirit. Mr. Clark then joined his regiment at Charlotte, N. C, and was placed on guard duty; shortly after his squadron was merged into company C, Ohio cavalry, and was finally mustered out at Charlotte, N. C, October 28, 1865.
After returning from the war, Mr. Clark learned the printer's trade at Wooster, and about this time was married, of which event further mention will be made. At the same time, in partnership with his brother, George, he established a bakery and confectionery, which was continued for about one year. He then took his young wife to Canton, Ohio, entered the Repository office, Josiah Hartzell and Thomas Saxton proprietors, and was connected with this journal eight Aears, and, beside setting type, did much uf the local reporting and editorial work. In 1874 he came to Akron and ten years was a compositor on the Beacon and eleven years on the editorial staff — having charge, during the three years of the latter period, of the local force. He gave some attention to politics while on the Beacon, but was not a seeker of office; nevertheless, being a stanch republican, he was solicited, in the fall of 1890, to become the candidate of his party for the office of recorder of Summit county — was elected, and re-elected in 1893. His term of office expired in January, 1897, and then he was appointed by the county commissioners to fill the vacancy in the office, occasioned b)' the change in time of the year when the recorder assumed the duties of the office.
Beside wielding a trenchant and facile pen, Mr. Clark is a first-class business man. He was one of the founders of the Van Wart company and is its vice-president; he is also proprietor of a novelty store in Youngstown, which he has placed in charge of a son, and which he established in the spring of 1892; he is president of the board of trustees of the First church of Christ in Akron, and for seven years was secretary of the board of charities in this city. Fraternally, he is a member of Akron lodge, No. 547. I. O. O. F., and of Akron encampment. No. 18; of grand canton Akron. No. 2, patriarchs militant, and past chief patriarch of Akron encampment; also assistant surgeon-general of the First brigade, patriarchs militant of Ohio, with the rank of major; is a member of Buckley post, G. A. R., and McPherson lodge, No. 63, K. of P.
The marriage of Mr. Clark took place May I, 1866, with Miss Carrie Foltz, daughter of Moses and Sarah Foltz, the union resulting in the birth of four children, viz.: Harry W., who died at the age of six months; Cora Alice, wife of H. S. Brandon, picture-farmer of.Akron; George Kean, manager of his father's store in Youngstown, and married to Miss Ona B. Waite, of Akron; and William Kean Foltz, at home with his parents.
As printed in A portrait and biographical record of Portage and Summit counties, Ohio (1898). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
BENJAMIN F. CLARK, deputy county recorder of Summit County and adjutant of Buckley Post, G. A. R., at Akron, has been a resident of this city since 1871, and for eighteen years was connected with the Beacon- Journal. Mr. Clark was born in Libson, Columbiana County, Ohio, January 24, 1841, and is a son of Rev. George Callhoun and Susan Atchison (Lee) Clark.
The father of Mr. Clark was a minister in the Christian Church. His mother was a first cousin of General Robert E. Lee, and possessed much of the beauty and dignity of the ladies of that old Virginia family. As a minister subject to the commands of church councils, Rev. George Clark was obliged frequently to change his place of residence, and when his son was about three years of age, he was stationed in Trumbull County. As soon as Benjamin was old enough he was placed at school at Massillon. and was under the instmction of that great educator. Prof. T. W. Harvey, later State School commissioner, and under him was graduated in 18o9. He then read medicine for two years with Dr. Metz, of Massillon, but when the Civil War became a certainty, he decided to put aside his personal ambitions and enter into the.sen'ice of his country.
In August, 1861, Mr. Clark became a member of Company H, Sixteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was mustered into service at Camp Tiffin, at Wooster, and after a season of drilling went to Cumberland Gap. The soldiers were put on skirmish duty for a time, the first fight in which the Sixteenth Regiment was engaged being at Tazewell, Tennessee. Great events followed and Mr. Clark, with his comrades were soon in the thickest of the VicLsburg movements. After passing safely through the siege of Vicksburg, he was severely wounded by a shell in the charge at Chickashaw Bayou, which sent him first to a hospital, later to his home as hopelessly injured and led to his discharge from the sen'ice. However, he was not through with military life, and as soon as he unexpectedly recuperated, he re-enlisted, entering Company B, Mc- Laughlin's Cavalry, Sherman's Brigade, which was organized by John Sherman. This regiment took part in the Atlanta campaign, followed General Stoneman into Georgia, and after the fall of Atlanta still pursued the enemy but, in turn, were themselves pursued by the desperate Confederates. The latter overtook them and forced an entire surrender of all that part of the raiding Union Army, with the exception of the brigade to which Mr. Clark was attached. It refused to surrender and attempted to cut its way out from Sunshine Church, to liberty, but suffered capture. Mr. Clark was confined for seven months in the terrible prison pen at Andersonville. but survived its terror. and at last was taken to Savannah, paroled, and then sent to a hospital at Annapolis, Maryland. Two weeks later he was sent to his home at Wooster, but, in his weakened state the change and excitement were too much for him and he suffered a relapse. For three weeks he lay unconscious, and he owes to the untiring, tender and loving care of his mother, hls subsequent recovery, although the strain was too heavy upon her and in returning to life's activities through her devotion, he was obliged to part with her forever.
Mr. Clark remained at home only as long a.s absolutely necessary and then rejoined his regiment, which v.'as then at Salisbury, North Caroline, receiving a perfect ovation from his admiring comrades. His regiment was merged with the Fifth Ohio Cavalry, and after his return he participated only in the bat- tie of Goldsboro, North Carolina. The work of the regiment was mainly railway and pro- Aost duty until Mr. Clark was honorably discharged, in the fall of 1865, at Charlotteville, North Carolina.
After his final retui'u to \A'foster, Mr. Clark was emijloyed as a printer at Wooster and other points until 1871, when he came to Akron and entered the Beacon- Journal office, where he worked at the case for eight years, and then took a position on the editorial force. It was while he was connected with newspaper work that he wrote his volume which he called the story of his life in Andersonville Prison. In 1891- he was elected county recorder of Summit County, and in 1894 he was re-elected, serving in the office for six years and eight months, following which he was interested in some Youngstown enterprises and became inspector for the Eastern Ohio Gas Company, of Akron, a position he resigned, when he became deputy recorder.
On May 1, 1866, Mr. Clark was married to Caroline Foltz, who is a daughter of Moses Foltz, of Wayne County, Ohio. They have three surviving children namely: Cora Alice, who is the wife of H. S. Bnmdon, of Cleveland; George K., a machinist, residing at Akron: and William K., also of Akron.
Mr. Clark is a member of the First Christian Church. Fraternally he is an Odd Fellow. I'or many years he has been very active in the Grand Army of the Republic.
As printed in Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens (1908). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops around 1908. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.