Dr. John Thomas Clark - Man of Mystery
by Sue Fulcher and Tina Foreman Beacham
A few months ago, I came across a posting in the Goose
Creek Island Album on Facebook concerning Dr.
John Clark, doctor on Goose Creek Island 1894 – 1906. I contacted Mrs. Sue Fulcher, great granddaughter
of Dr. John Clark and together we decided to put together a story.
The story of Dr. John Thomas Clark is a mixture of fact
and fiction. It’s one of those stories
that is hard to sort out but leaves your mind to wonder. In order to solve a mystery, you first must
have documents that serve as clues.
Second, you must understand the circumstances in which events could have
taken place. And third, you have to piece all the information together to solve
it.
In this story, you will find facts within various stages
of Dr. John Thomas Clark’s life. However, you will find there are a few years
of this mystery man that are unaccounted for. It is an ongoing study into the
life of Dr. John Thomas Clark and his granddaughter hopes to one day have all
the pieces put together to learn who this “mystery man” was.
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| From L-R; Cora Lee Alcock Clark, Gertrude Isabelle Clark Leary,George Clarence Clark, Dr. John Thomas Clark,Circa 1903-1904.Photo Courtesy Sue Fulcher |
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To learn about Dr. John Thomas Clark’s early life, our
story begins in York County, South Carolina. Situated on the North Carolina
border, near Charlotte, its largest city is Rock Hill. In the 1840’s through 1860’s, York County had
finally recovered from the effects of the Revolutionary War. One of the biggest battles was the Battle of
Kings Mountain along the present day North Carolina – South Carolina
border.
Heavily populated by Scots-Irish Presbyterians, York County
became one of the first original counties established in South Carolina. From 1840 through 1860, York County was home
to many small to medium sized farms.
Plantations were not typical in York County as one would imagine in the
antebellum years, but there were a few.
The movie Gone with The Wind probably sensationalized the antebellum
south, but this was not the case in York County.
Cotton was “king” in York County during these years and
John Clark’s grandparents, Thomas and Sarah Bradshaw most likely produced the
much sought after commodity. Thomas and
Sarah Bradshaw owned a small farm. They
were members of the Sharon Associate Reform Presbyterian Church that was
organized in 1796 in Sharon, York County, SC.
In 1845, Thomas Bradshaw died, leaving Sarah to care for
their children and the farm. The 1850
Census Slave Schedule records Sarah Bradshaw as owning 6 slaves. Sarah’s children, Margaret, Mary, Isabella,
Martha, Andrew, and Eliza carried on the day to day activities of running the
farm. Even Sarah’s mother, Rachel
Gaither (John’s great grandmother) was living with the family at that
time. One can imagine the chores the
children and the matriarchs of the household endured during this era;
milking cows, cutting firewood, feeding chickens, picking cotton, all those
things that were required to run a farm.
In 1854, Margaret, Martha and Andrew all died within 2
months of each other. Isabella and Eliza
were left to support each other and their mother and grandmother on the
farm. We assume Mary had married and
left the Bradshaw farm during this time.
Imagine how hard working these women were. To continue to etch out an
existence on their farm and the impending unrest on the South Carolina coast
that was leading up to the beginnings of Civil War.
In 1860, Isabella Bradshaw met James Jefferson Clark of
Chester County, SC. James Jefferson
Clark was of one of the old distinguished pioneer families of South Carolina
who helped to establish our country during the American Revolution. They were married and before long, the
unrest in South Carolina had escalated to secession. South Carolina had seceded from the Union in December
1860 and the country was in conflict.
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| James J. Clark, 17th South Carolina Infantry Regiment, Company F Photo Courtesy Sue Fulcher |
James Jefferson Clark, Jr. enlisted in the Confederate
Army soon after, He enlisted in the 17th
South Carolina Infantry Regiment, Company F, known as the Carolina Rifles. This company was heavily comprised of men
from York County, South Carolina. On
April 4, 1861, Isabella and James’ first child was born, William Guthry Clark. It is unknown if the child was
born before James enlisted in the Army.
Unfortunately, William died in 1862.
He is buried in the Sharon Associated Reform Presbyterian Churchyard
Cemetery, York County, South Carolina.
Private James Jefferson Clark, Jr. began his service with
the Confederate Army in 1861. Isabella
most likely continued to reside with her mother on the Bradshaw farm. James came home as often as he could and on August 11, 1863, John Thomas Clark was
born in York County, South Carolina.
In the spring of 1864, Private Clark found himself in
Petersburg, Virginia. In a battle that
became known as The Siege of Petersburg, the campaign lasted several
months. Private Clark was killed in
action on July 2, 1864 in Petersburg, Virginia. His was buried with other
“brethren in arms” in a mass grave near the Old Blandford Church in Petersburg,
VA.
It is unknown when or how Isabella learned she had become
a widow. The uncertainty of raising a
child on her own and the anguish of her son without a father had to be
hard. It’s even hard to say if Private
Clark had even seen his son. During
those days and the strife of war, soldiers did not return home on leave very
often.
Isabella raised the young boy on the Bradshaw farm with
her mother, grandmother and sister. The
Civil War was finally over in 1865. Most
of the country was trying to recover. In
1870, Isabella, John and Sarah are listed in the York County census and we
assume, still operating the family farm as best they could under extreme
circumstances of recovering from the war.
In December 1870, Isabella was tending laundry at an
outside wash pot. As many of us know, a
fire is built under the wash pot to heat the water. An unfortunate accident occurred and Isabella
died on December 20, 1870 from possible burns from the fire. It is assumed that maybe her dress caught on
fire and the fire could not be extinguished quickly. Hospitals and medicine were not readily
available in those days. Infection may
have set in. One can only speculate on
the dire circumstances she endured.
John Thomas Clark was now an orphan at 7 years old. His father killed in battle, his mother gone
by an unfortunate accident. It was now
just him and his grandmother. At some point during the next decade, John and
his grandmother Sarah were living with his Aunt Sarah Moore. According to the 1880 census, Clark W. Moore
and Sarah Moore listed Sarah Bradshaw (mother in law) and John Clark (nephew)
residing with them. Can you imagine what life must
have been like during this time of transition? With no slaves to help tend the land, did the Bradshaw family farm
succumb to foreclosure and eventual ruin which forced them to relocate with other family members?
John was 17 years old in 1880. Here is where our mystery begins. Because 1890 census are not available, we do
not know what transpired between the years of 1880 and 1890. Stories passed down through the generations are the
only proof of what we believe could have occurred.
John at some point married Mary Montgomery, possibly in
the early 1880’s. During
his marriage he learned of Mary’s infidelities with another man. John challenged the man to a duel. Dueling had since become outlawed in South
Carolina in 1880. A challenge ensued. A
death occurred. And John Thomas Clark had been charged with a crime.
John Thomas Clark was imprisoned. It was during his imprisonment that he began
learning the trade of physician. It is
believed John Thomas Clark was imprisoned in Charleston, South Carolina. At the time the Old Jail was located adjacent
to the Old Roper Hospital, which is still there today. John apprenticed with a doctor while he was
incarcerated and thus began his journey to become a doctor.
On August 31, 1886, a most spectacular disaster occurred
on the East Coast. An earthquake shook the colonial town of Charleston. The shock was felt throughout the city and as
far away as Boston and New Orleans.
Buildings were destroyed and lives were lost. In today’s terms, the earthquake measured
around 7.3 on the Richter scale.
John Thomas Clark was amongst the people of Charleston
who survived and witnessed the destruction of the earthquake. The Old Jail was heavily damaged and
prisoners, in an effort to save themselves, escaped the ruined building. John Thomas Clark was one of those prisoners.
Without the 1890 census, it is hard to know where John
Thomas Clark fled to. Did he travel back
to York or Chester Counties, South Carolina?
One would imagine not. He was an
escaped prisoner, his crime was still known to the communities of those
counties. John Thomas Clark had fled to the coast of
North Carolina and landed on Goose Creek Island.
As one could imagine, any stranger arriving on Goose
Creek Island at this time would have been met with speculation. How did John Clark find his way to our
secluded hamlet on the edge of the sound?
Did he come to work on the Jacob Farm with the Roanoke Lumber Co.?
Or was Dr. Clark, traveling throughout eastern North
Carolina and trying to stay hidden from any attention his past could have
brought him? Unlike today, trying to
search for an escaped prisoner would have been much more difficult and
burdensome. Besides, South Carolina had more
dire problems to overcome; rebuild a city after an earthquake, feeding and
housing the refugees from that disaster and trying to build an economy after
the Civil War.
John Thomas Clark arrived on Goose Creek Island at some
point prior to 1894. Once here, Dr. Clark made his mark in the area. It was on May 25, 1894 that he married Cora
Lee Alcock of Hobucken. It is assumed that Dr. Clark made his living farming
and also providing medical care to the Island residents. On February 25, 1897, Dr. Clark swore an oath
in Superior Court in Pamlico County to practice medicine.
It was customary at the time, doctors who had not been
educated in a formal school setting but had trained and “practiced” medicine
prior to 1890 could formally take an oath to practice. By swearing an oath with the Superior Court
of the County, a doctor was granted a license to practice. Records show that John Thomas Clark had also
sworn oaths to practice medicine in Dare, Tyrrell, Camden and Currituck
Counties in 1896 and 1897.
Dr. Clark had a practice in Hobucken. He also traveled by horse and buggy
throughout the Island and surrounding area when needed. Dr.
Clark and Cora Lee had four children, Gertrude Isabelle, George Clarence, Leona and a child who
died in infancy. Eventually, Dr. Clark
and Cora settled in Lowland and lived in the present day Fenner & Mary Jane
Whitfield home. Dr. Clark practiced
medicine up until his death on June 6, 1906.
Dr. John Thomas Clark, orphaned child of the antebellum
Civil War era, prisoner, earthquake survivor, doctor, was laid to rest in the
Cahoon Cemetery, behind the Manning Lupton home in Hobucken.
It is has been told that Dr. Clark may have succumbed to
being poisoned. According to family
stories, Dr. Clark made his own medicines and did not share these with other
doctors in the area. When Dr. Clark was
taken sick with what was called “rabbit fever”, a treatable illness, another county
doctor was “sent” for to come and help treat him.
There was probably some rivalry between the two doctors,
maybe some jealousy, but within a matter of days, Dr. Clark had died. His sickness was not life-threatening and
could be cured with the proper medicine.
The family quietly suspected he had been poisoned by the rival doctor.
As often the case with history, details are hazy and
surviving records can leave much to be desired.
Thankfully, Sue Fulcher, Dr. John Clark’s great granddaughter has
compiled much information and research into learning “who” this man of mystery
was.
From York County, to Charleston, to Goose
Creek Island, Dr. John Thomas Clark was without a doubt an extraordinary man who
lived during extraordinary times. He
lived on the frontier of the Civil War era, was incarcerated, but given a
chance to learn the medical profession through unfortunate circumstances. An act of God allowed him to flee his
reckless past and to make a new beginning, And of all places to make that new beginning,
he choose Goose Creek Island.
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| Photo courtesy Eunice Clark Jones |
In the fall of 2013, during the annual Goose Creek Island Homecoming, Eunice Clark Jones and Sue Fulcher,
granddaughters of Dr. John Thomas Clark and Cora Lee Alcock Clark, placed a
headstone at the grave of their grandfather in the Cahoon Cemetery. For over a hundred years, his final resting
place had been unmarked and that of his infant child. Dr. Clark has finally been given a proper
tribute to his service to our Island and honored by his family he never
knew.
