Jeremiah Clark III must have been smiling on July 8. On that day, five generations of his family gathered at Bart Clark’s home in Clarkston on Valley Park for the Clark Family Reunion.
Bart Clark, a descendent of Jeremiah organized the family reunion. The get-together took place at Bart’s new home in Clarkston, which is named after Jeremiah and his brother Nelson.
The reunion gave the oldest Clark, Virginia, 93, a chance to see a town she grew up in again and gave the youngest Clark, Samantha ,1, the first time she visited the town named after her ancestor.
Virginia is the great-great-granddaughter of Jeremiah Clark. Samantha is Bart’s granddaughter.
Clarkston went through a lot of changes between the time Jermiah called it home and Samantha made her first visit, and Bart’s research found the Clarks were a key part of those changes.
Bart began the idea of the reunion while he was researching his family’s history.
‘One of my ancestors had done a history of the Clark family,? Bart said. ‘My mother gave that to me, which sparked my interest.?
Bart researched Jeremiah and the all the other Clarks so he could prepare a scrapbook to show at the family reunion.
During that time, Bart began to have a real appreciation for his family’s legacy in Clarkston. He was glad he chose to retire in Clarkston and chose his home to host the Clark Family Reunion.
‘It’s a great town,? Clark said. ‘Clarkston is a great place to live. It has both a city and country side to it. It’s also nice to be in a place with all the family ties.?
Prior to his retirement, Bart had never lived in Clarkston and didn’t know the history his family had there. Bart’s father Milton Hadley Clark moved from Clarkston to Detroit to look for work and that’s where Bart was born.
Bart attended the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland and served in the Navy for 26 years. During that time Bart was the commander for the USS Omaha and traveled the globe. His last assignment was teaching Naval Science at the University of Michigan.
After leaving the Navy, he went to work for Ford Motor Company for 11 years. Once he retired from Ford in 1993, he bought a home in Clarkston and began to research his family’s heritage in the area.
During his research Bart found many interesting facts about his ancestors.
Bart learned Jermiah and his brother Nelson came to the area in the 1830s. The two opened a saw mill on Washington, where several homes are now located; a flower mill off Main Street, which is now where to The Clarkston Mall is located and a fish hatchery.
Jermiah served as Independence Township supervisor from 1838-39 and 1843-44. He was also the Justice of the Peace in 1845 and a representative on the state legislature in 1838 and 1841.
Nelson built a home a 71 N. Main Street, which is the white mansion with pillars that still stands today. He also opened an academy, which later became the Union School. The building was later tore down and the Independence Township Hall currently sits at the site.
The brothers also served as postmasters and planted the first apple tree in Clarkston.
Jermiah’s son Milton H. Clark built a store called Clark and Stems. The store was at the corner of Washington and Main Streets until burning down. The Clarkston News parking lot now exists in the location. Milton H. built his home at 62 N. Main Street, which like Nelson’s still stands today.
Milton’s son Edwin and his son Lee Milton opened the Vulcan Art Metal Works. The building is currently Tierra’s Fine Jewelry. Edwin made his home at 52 N. Main Street, which is also still standing today.
Lee Milton (Virginia’s father) also organized events at the Maccabee Temple and started a weekly paper called The Community News in the 1920s.
Virginia remembers the town fondly from her childhood. She graduated from Clarkston High School in 1930.
‘I was a member of the last class that graduated out of the school on Main Street,? Virginia said. ‘The new school wasn’t completely done yet. There was just 16 kids in my graduating class.?
This year over 500 students graduated from Clarkston High School.
Before the reunion, Virginia drove around the current town and said she could not believe what she saw.
‘I can’t take it all in,? Virginia said. ‘It’s hardly the same as it used to be. It was a small town back then. I knew everybody in town. It used to have little stores and you knew everyone. It’s like a city now.?
Virginia has countless memories of Clarkston from growing up. She smiles when she talks about the Methodist Church she attended and getting married in Clarkston. Virginia even remembers when Rudy’s first opened.
‘He opened the store right before I got married,? Virginia said. ‘It was a wonderful store and he was a likeable guy. He wanted to please everybody.?
During the Clark reunion, Virginia got a chance to see all her family and many nieces and nephews she had not seen in years.
All the Clarks in attendance enjoyed a picnic and then took a tour of downtown Clarkston to see the buildings their ancestors built.