A Wilson Family Tree
Notes for Berry Williams Clark
From Sorrells Genealogy:
He was named after a family friend-Berry Williams. Two of this Berry CLARK's sisters married WILLIAMS, the sons of Berry WILLIAMS.
1871 Sevier Co., TN Tax List Clark, W.B. District 10
Clark, W.B. District 10
Clark, W.B. District 10
"Berry Williams CLARK did not marry until he was 40 because his mother told him he had to be the man of the family because his father had died when he was 10. His mother died before he married. B.W. had a store in Bird's Creek. He kept a ledger and had many account that never paid. He also farmed. I never knew Dad to shave himself. Mother always shaved him. He always wore a beard after he got his face caught in the cane mill. He was cleaning the equipment when some boys on a nearby hill threw a rock that hit the horse. The horse started and he got caught in the mill. It caused his mouth to be drawn to one side. Dad always said he wouldn't leave us any money. He knew if he could get us a good education then we could 'make' it, and he did. Even though Mother was much younger, she was the boss!" -(Emma Deane CLARK)
"Father, Berry Williams Clark, was born May 5, 1852, in Sevier Co., TN on the the Little Pigeon River, close to where now is know as the Mitchell Bottoms, and near Red Bank Baptist Church, his father John Bitner Clark and his mother Mary James Clark, are both buried on a hill west of where he was born and across the present highway thru the Mitchell Bottoms.
Father was not a very large man, about 5 ft 8 inches in height, and weighed around 150 pounds. He was not a very strong man but had a determined will, and could accomplish most anything that he made up his mind to. When he was only ten years old his father died. This threw a terriffic load on his young and immature years, as the man of the family. With his mother's help and advice he managed the farm, an they made a comfortable living, he in later years buying out the other heirs, and securing title to the farm for himself. He stayed with his mother until she died looking after her and caring for her. After her death he sold the farm and moved to Birds Creek, and opened up a general store during this period living with his brother Solomon. He later purchased a large acreage of land just south of where he had his store, and there built a large and comfortable two story house. He gave up the store and in the year 1892 he married Lillie Belle Paine, daughter of Rev. Smith Furgerson & Mary Emeline McIntire Paine. To his new house he took Mother and there all their children were born and reared, and where both he and Mother lived until their death.
In Father's early manhood, he went to a log rolling, which was a great affair in those times. There he injured himself by overlifiting, just how he was not sure, but at the time he bled internally. After that time his health was never very good, and for several years they did not believe that he would survive. But he carefully guarded his health, and watched his food and lived to the age of 86 years. I believe that in the latter years of his life that his health was much improved. Father was always a very active man, he did not believe in idleness, and he practices his belief.
As his father died when he was only ten years old, he did not know too much about the Clark family. They had scattered, some of them went to TX, some to OK, some to AR, some to MO, and in those days it was very difficult to correspond with each other. As the years and the Civil War passed they gradually lost tract of each other. His brother Solomon, moved to Dalton, GA and bought a farm there. His sister Minerva whom married Rufus Shields, followed him there. His sister Emeline whom had married John Williams, moved to Dunn's Creek, near Cosby. His sister Sarrah whom had married Joseph Williams, lived on an adjoining farm to his on Birds Creek, and of course he kept in contact with those. But it was rather his Father's brothers and sisters with whom he lost contact, as in those days there was almost no mail service and transportation was almost nil.
One incident in Father's life as he related it to me, was when he was about 11 years old, he was captured and taken to Longstreet's encampment not far from where they lived. The encampment was in what they called the flat woods near Harrisburg. You can imagine that a small boy of 11 was pretty scared. They kept him overnight and next morning returned him to his mother. They asked him lots of questions, figuring that he might could tell them the whereabouts of some of the men whom were hiding out in that vicinity. They did not harm or threaten him in any way, and after he got over his scare, I think that he rather enjoyed it.
During the Civil War, he and his sisters would take turns holding the stock to keep the soldiers from getting them. They did get one of their mares, but his mother went to Colonel Murphy and he went with her to the encampment and the commanding officer made them line up the horses, and told her to pick her's out. She did, and he returned it to her.
Some of Father's ancestors were very scholary, some could speak several different languages, could read books written in Latin, and wrote a very legible hand-writing in the script of their day.
Father was a very civic-minded man, and he always worked for the betterment of the community, in making it a better place for his children to live. He worked tirelessly to establish Smoky Mountain Academy, and he and Rev. S. F. Paine, were largely responsible for its being a reality. Most of the planning was done at home. Father was one of its founders. He donated all of the lumber which went into its building and the first dormitory. He gave of his time and monetary support until his death. He was one of its first Trustees and always gave it his active support.
Father joined the Zion Grove Baptist Church and was baptized sometime in his late fifties. The exact year I do not know, but I saw him baptized. He was baptised in Birds Creek just above ford now going over to D. E. Brown's . He had always actively supported the church, and when something was going on at the church, Father never missed it, and saw that his children went also.
Father was a great believer in education, and his church, and he tried in every way possible to educate his children, and to see that facilities were available for that purpose.
Father was a very determined man, strictly honest, and thought everyone else should be the same. He lost quite a lot of money in trusting people. Once Father had made up his mind on an issue, he was very hard to change. In fact as far as Father was concerned, that was the way it was or had to be. He demanded and received complete obedience from his children. He was very strict, though gentle, and the rules and regulations he propounded for his childfen had to be adhered to without question, and any deviation there-from called for disciplinary action therefore. Father loved his children and family very much, and was always interested in their well-being. He loved his home, and only left it to attend to necessary business, or his church, always returning as soon as possible. His entire life was, him home and family.
Father, although his health was not very good, was always active, and was, up to the time of his terminal illness, his willpower often carrying him through any task that he chose to perform. Late in the fall of 1937, Father, one cold rainy day, left the house to see about the division of the crops of one of the Tennants. Mother tried to keep him from going, but he went anyway. He got wet and chilled from which he took pneumonia. Although he recovered from the pneumonia itself, he did not recover from the effects of it. On the morning of June 15th, 1938, holding my hand he passed quietly, and peacefully away. I had not only lost a father, but a dear friend and counselor as well. Father was gone from us at the age of 86, and the family circle was broken. He was laid to rest in the New Zion's Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, beside his daughter Mary. The Clarks and the Paines having some years previously signed an agreement with the Trustees of Smoky Mountain Academy not to use the Paine-Clark Cemtery for future burial purposes." (Newton Berry Clark)
I have a tin-type picture of him. (Sherry S. Finchum)
Note: Some of the information in these pages is uncertain. Please let me know of errors or omissions using the email link above. ...Mike Wilson
Page generated on 31 October 2023