(1826-1898)
written by Melonie Crnich
( Ann Clark, wife )
Joseph Owen Clark was born on 1 June 1826 in
Safron Waldron, Essex, England. His parents were Mary Clark and Joseph
Onion.. He was adopted by Benjamin Thomas Clark and Ann Leaford
Shuker. He married their daughter Ann Clark on 3 November 1846 in Cambridge,
Cambridgeshire, England.
Two of their children were born in Barnwell, Cambridge,
England: Mary Ann (1847 and George Edward (1849). Sometime
around 1850 they heard the message from the Mormon missionaries.
In 1850 at age 24 Joseph was baptized in Barnwell, Cambridge, England.
Two years later Joseph, Ann and their two children,
along with Ann's father, stepmother and children immigrated to America.
They sailed from Liverpool on 23 January 1853 on the ship "Golconda".
There were a total of 321 people traveling with the Church Immigration
Program. They reached America at New Orleans and took a steam boat
up the Mississippi River to Keokuk, Lee, Iowa arriving 23 January 1853.
While waiting to cross the plains Ann had a baby,
Josephine Frances (1853). She didn't live long and was buried in
Iowa. They stayed in Iowa for another three years while Ann recovered
and they prepared for the trip across the plains.
On June 6, 1856 they left Iowa with the Capt. Philemon
C. Merrill wagon train. Along with 200 people and 50 wagons they
arrived in Salt Lake City in August 13-18, 1856.
They settled for a time in Salt Lake City and had
six more children: Julia Ann (1856), Samuel Shuker (1860), Joshua (1863),
Clara Miriam (1865), Benjamin Thomas (1867) and Alice Vilate (1870).
In November of 1888, being disillusioned with
the Church in Salt Lake, Joseph, his wife Ann and all of their children
except Mary Ann returned to Independence, Jackson County, Missouri and
joined the Reorganized LDS Church. Joseph died 28 January 1898 in Glenwood,
Mills County, Iowa at the age of seventy-two. He was buried at Independence,
Jackson County,
Missouri.
_________________________
SOURCES:
European Immigration Index
World Wide LDS Ship Register
Family Pedigree Charts
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