Third Generation

13. Almena WILSON was born on 17 Feb 1838 in Lincoln (Catawba County), North Carolina. In 1860 she was a school teacher in the county school system.

Almena WILSON [See note 1] and Walter Hogshead CLARK were married on 17 Jan 1866 in Catawba County, North Carolina.¹⁶ by Geo. Setzer, C.C., R. England, bondsman. Walter Hogshead CLARK, Jr. was born estimated 1845. They had children: Benjamin, Berdie, Walter, Lorena, Zora, and Mary Mallie.Walter went to Texas to find land. While there, Almena died and her sister, Frances, brought the children to him and marryied Walter in Texas, after 1877. Frances Wilson Clark died 19 Mar 1926 in Milam Co., TX, and was buried in Locklin Cemetery, San Gabriel, Milam Co., Texas.  Almina had one other sister, Becky.

We know little of Walter H. Clark's background, except that he was also from NC, that he served in the Civil War, and that he had two brothers, Jim Clark (who had land close by), in San Gabriel, and lived his life there with wife Mattie and a large family of children). Taylor Clark (who settled in Trinidad, Colorado, and had a daughter named Ruth), and one sister who supposedly settled in North Texas. Grandfather Clark owned the gin and general store in San Gabriel, and served on the school board. Having the only cotton gin in the community contributed to his financial success, and he owned land on which he raised cotton, and owned slaves.

When Grandfather Walter Clark came to Texas, to search for a suitable place to settle, he left his wife and 4 small children in Kansas. During his absence, his wife Almena died, and when at last he was located, he asked his wife's sister, Frances, to bring the children to him. She stayed for awhile with his sister in North Texas, with the children. And it was here that Frances and Walter married, then journeyed on to San Gabriel, Texas, to settle down. Three of the children died, before they were 7 years old, leaving only Lorena Zora to be raised by her aunt, who also was her stepmother. When Lorena Zora died in childbirth, her baby girl, Zora Clark Fokes, was taken to her grandmother and grandfather to live. She soon had a foster sister. A young German girl was hired to help around the house, and had an illegitimate baby girl, who was named Zelma. Grandmother Clark agreed to keep the baby, when the young woman wanted to leave. So, although she never able to have children of her own (which was a grief to her), Grandmother Frances Wilson Clark provided a loving home for 6 children.

Walter Clark is buried in Locklin Cemetery in San Gabriel, Texas. (Theresa Connor Minor has picture of headstone).
The burial site of Almena is unknown. [See Note 2]

1910 Precinct 5, District 66, Milam County, Texas:
Walter H. Clark, self, 65, born in NC, parents born in North Carolina.
Frances Clark, wife, 61, born in NC, father born in North Carolina, mother born in Tennessee
Zora Clark, 18, granddaughter, mother born in North Carolina, father born in Texas

1920 Precinct 5, District 129, Milam County, Texas:
Walter H. Clark, self, 76, born in North Carolina, as were parents.
Frances Clark, wife, 72, born in North Carolina, as were parents.

Note 1:
She married Walter Hogshead Clark, Jr. in NC and had four children.  My grandmother, Zora Clark Fokes Wilkerson, thought that Walter went to TX from NC but as of June 2006, I found out otherwise.  Apparently, Walter and Almena with their two daughters, Lorena and Mary, moved to KS, along with other relatives.  After they moved to KS, Walter and Almena had two sons, Jacob and Walter.  Walter then went to TX to find land, which he did in Milam Co., TX.  While in TX, his wife Almena passed away in KS, and she is buried in KS but have not been able to find where she was buried.  Almena's sister, Frances Wilson, brought the four children to TX.  Walter later married Frances.  Three of the children passed away at an early age, leaving only one child living, Lorena Zora Clark. [courtesy of Theresa Connor Minor, June, 2006]

Note 2:
I have been trying to find out where Almena Wilson Clark is buried but have been unable to find out.  I have also been trying to find out why she died but that's another mystery.  We do know that Almena was in the 1870 census of Kentucky, Jefferson Co., KS, and we do know that her three youngest children died in 1877 and 1878 in San Gabriel, Milam Co., TX (they are buried in Locklin Cemetery, San Gabriel, Milam Co., TX).  We don't know what year Frances (Almena's sister) brought the four children to TX but it had to be before 1877 because Mary Rebecca (Mallie) Clark died in San Gabriel, Milam Co., TX.  So my assumption is that Almena died sometime between 1870 and 1877.  [courtesy of Theresa Connor Minor, April, 2008]

[SOURCES: Copy of letter from a cousin, A P Lynch, to Joseph M D W Wilson; in possession of Lynn Pritchett.; Research provided by Theresa Minor. My sincere thanks to them]