Biography - Dennis Clark
DENNIS CLARK, County Judge, was born Aug. 14, 1817, in Washington, Ind.; his
parents were Walter and Mary (Young) Clark, the former of Virginia, and his
mother a native of New Jersey; he was educated in the common schools, and
attended Cherry Grove Seminary in 1841-2; his early boyhood days were passed on
a farm, and in the year 1837 commenced teaching school in winter and farming in
summer; followed this for several years; after he was married commenced the
study of law at home; admitted to the bar in 1866; he was married April 10,
1845, to Martha Meadows [the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index lists a Dennis
Clarke marrying a Martha Meadows in Knox County on April 9, 1845], who has borne
him ten children, five of whom are dead. Judge C. is one of the pioneers of
Illinois; he came to the state in 1823 with his father, who moved to Wisconsin
in 1828, where shortly after he was poisoned drinking mineral water, when the
whole charge of the family fell upon Dennis; with an ox team he has made trips
50 miles to provide food for the family; in 1829 family moved to St. Louis, then
to Sangamon county, Ill., where he was bound out to a farmer; he got $5 ahead,
left and came to Knox County in 1833, settling near Abingdon; he served as
Captain of military company in 1836 and for several years afterwards; has been
Township Clerk, Overseer Poor, and in Nov., 1865, was elected County Judge, and
re-elected three times since; during the war he was enrolling officer, and
labored earnestly to relieve the families of soldiers who were in the field; he
is possessed of good practical judgment, sympathetic, always ready to
accommodate, benevolent, and is highly respected and honored; in politics he was
formerly a Whig, but now a Republican; he resides at Abingdon.
Contributed by Joan Achille, extracted from the 1878 History of Knox County,
Illinois published by Charles C. Chapman.
