San Diego County Biographies

J. M. CLARK

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm


Was born in Antwerp, Jefferson County, New York, January 4, 1823, his parents 
being natives of New England. In 1836 they moved near Cleveland, Ohio, thence to 
Caldwell County, Missouri, and in 1837 to Hancock County, Illinois, where his 
father followed the trade of blacksmith, and he attended the public schools and 
learned the trade of carpenter. In 1846 he went to Galena, Wisconsin, and worked 
in the lead mines, but soon went to St. Louis, Missouri, where he learned the 
trade of ship-joiner; and this trade, in connection with that of carpenter, he 
followed until 1849. In that year he decided to come to California, and 
accordingly joined a train at Fort Independence, and, crossing the mountains at 
South Pass, they entered Hangtown, after an extremely pleasant journey. Instead 
of mining he went to Sutter's Fort, now Sacramento, and engaged extensively in 
live stock, that being headquarters for stock trading at that time. In 1851 he 
went to Oregon and made large purchases of grain, shipping it to San Francisco, 
but still continuing his interests at Sacramento.
        In 1855 he married Miss Magdalena Rich, of German parentage but a native 
of Wisconsin, and they then moved to Oroville, Butte County, there entering a 
wholesale and retail mercantile business, carrying on several retail stores, and 
continuing about fourteen years with great success in the business, but losing 
heavily in mining speculations. In 1869 he came to San Diego city and was 
traveling agent and clerk for the firm of Smith & Craique, who conducted a 
wholesale and retail liquor business, until 1877; he then opened business for 
himself until .1880, when he sold out and went to Tombstone and opened a saloon, 
and also owned and worked the Winfield silver mine, which was very rich at 
times, assaying $376 to the ton. In 1884 he sold out and returned to San Diego, 
again resuming his liquor business, under the firm name of Scranton & Clark; 
later the firm was changed to Craique & Clark. In 1886 he retired from the 
business, and. during that "boom" year, which San Diego can never forget, 
entered extensively into the sale of real estate, and still follows that 
business in the care of his property.
        Mr. Clark has had three children, two of whom are living: Frank M., who 
married Miss Annie Lovell, and Ione Feno, now the wife of Juan Allison, all 
residents of San Diego city.
 
SOURCE:  An Illustrated History of Southern California:  Embracing the Counties 
of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower 
California� Chicago:  The Lewis Publishing Company, 1890.  p.-  205