The desire to discover my family roots has been a driving force in my life. My work has turned into the most surprising adventure... and a look into the lives of amazing ancestors who, through great trials and self sacrifice forged legacies that leave me in awe. I am humbled by the miracle of self preservation and the unwavering determination to see a “New World” where they could worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. I owe a debt of not only gratitude but integrity to these ancestors who crossed the seas to establish this great country and the freedoms I now enjoy. I was deeply moved when President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Be true to who you are and the family name you bear." I believe the lives of those who came before me echo that same message.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

John Clark- Mayflower Pilot

John Clark   10th Great Grandfather
1575-1624

John Clark baptized on 26 March 1575 in St. Mary's Thriploe, Cambridgeshire, England.  He first went to Jamestown, Virginia in March 1610 as a ship's pilot.  There, at Point Comfort, he was captured by the Spanish in June 1611.  He was taken captive to Havana, Cuba, where he was interrogated, and then sent to Seville, Spain, and then on to Madrid in 1613.  He was held as a prisoner until he was ransomed by King James I in exchange for a Spanish prisoner held by the English in 1616.  He immediately went back to his occupation as a ship's pilot, and took a shipment of cattle to Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 under some-time pirate Thomas Jones.  In 1620, he was hired to be the master's mate and pilot of the Mayflower, on its intended voyage to Northern Virginia.  While the Pilgrims were exploring Cape Cod and Plymouth Harbor, the shallop was caught in a storm and Clark brought them safely ashore at an Island, which is to this day known as Clark's Island.  After returning, John Clark decided to settle in Virginia himself.  He went to Jamestown in 1623 on the ship Providence, with the intention of settling there, but died not too long after his arrival.
John was a Quaker and he did not sign The Mayflower Compact.


Linage...Sandra Christensen-Phyllis Overstreet-Myrtle Ambrose-Thornton Ambrose-Ann Clark-Henry Clark-William Clark-John Clark-John Clark-Michael Clark-Edward Clark-John Clark
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8 comments:

  1. markys big swim buoyAugust 7, 2010 at 7:08 AM

    I have just discovered that John Clark is my Great Grandfather back 12 generations. Very exciting!

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  2. Mrs. PatNovember 17, 2010 at 8:02 AM

    John Clarke is my Great Great Uncle, his brother is my lineage, I am 12th generation in America

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  3. Mrs. PatNovember 17, 2010 at 8:09 AM

    Going through papers discovered in my grandmothers trunk, shows that Clarke, Clark, Clerk and sometimes Cleric are all the same name, depending on who wrote it down and where the names were written down. Because during that time in history only nobility were allowed names/titles so if it was not spelled correctly, oh well. I found that comparing dates, births, deaths and information from at least 3 sources keeps the genealogy accurate.

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  4. AnonymousJanuary 15, 2011 at 11:32 AM

    John Clark's grandpa's brother, George Clark, is my husband's 14th great grandpa :)

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  5. AnonymousDecember 28, 2011 at 8:07 PM

    I have only been told minimal points of my relationship to John clark of the mayflower. Since learning of this exciting family bloodline, I have had a loss of contact with the contributing member of my family. I would be interested in speaking with someone further on retracing my position in this family.

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  6. JohnnyGFebruary 19, 2014 at 1:31 PM

    I discovered my connection to John Clarke when I found a membership document from the early 1800s for Mayflower Society under my father's bed. Not sure what you would call the relation. My great great aunt was a direct Clarke descendant and it was her maiden name.

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  7. UnknownFebruary 28, 2016 at 9:51 AM

    John Clark is a descendant of Thomas Clark who is a grandfather. William Clark is his father. That's what it takes to connect him to my direct line. In 1314 Gilbert Thomas Declare V was killed in battle at Bannockburn, Scotland. His son Thomas DeClarke turned into the Clarks that came here early 1600s. This is quite an extensive tree. Our name really is Declare. His father was Gilbert the IV, The Red 7th Earl of Hertford 3rd Earl of Gloucestershire Declare, who married princess Joan of Acre Plantagenet, her father was Edward the First King of England. So this part of the family tree is a circle that goes back to Rollo the Viking from Normandy. Our information came from Ancestry.com and my father who was born in 1918 and said when he was young they were visited by some people from England they said that the Clarks were part of the Royal family but they could not prove that they were. Somewhere in the1970s my father told me about this visit from England Thanks to DNA and Ancestry.com we now can prove our family tree. I urge anybody interested to join Ancestry.com and take DNA testing. We may be able to help with our Clark line. Back to where other lines connect. This line also contains Abraham Clark signor of The Declaration of Independence. And quite a few more founding fathers.

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  8. UDJune 6, 2016 at 2:53 AM

    To you have John Clark's Royal ancestry?

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