Clark

Brian P. Toal

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2003
• Print ISBN: 9780738513058
• eBook ISBN: 9781439612064
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Clark explores a community with a history dating from 1864, the height of the Civil War. Accessed by Exit 135 on the Garden State Parkway, Clark was originally the Fifth Ward of Rahway until a group of disgruntled farmers, led by founding fathers Robert A. Russell, William Bloodgood, William H. Enders, Smith Woodruff, and Judge Hugh H. Bowne, declared its independence and established a self-governing township. The men named the town for a local American patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Clark. The vintage photographs included here represent Clark's history from its days as a rural farm town of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to its current status as a thriving suburban community.

Two

THE MAYORS

ROBERT ADISON RUSSELL. Robert Adison Russell (November 25, 1825–November 11, 1882) was the first and third mayor of Clark. He served from 1864 to 1867 and 1870 to 1872. A Democrat who was born in Marlboro, New York, Russell lived in Clark on Valley Road. He was a founding father of Clark, and he died at the age of 56 of pneumonia.

WILLIAM EDWARD BLOODGOOD. William Edward Bloodgood (1820–1898) was the second and fourth mayor of Clark. A Democrat, he served from 1868 to 1869 and 1873 to 1875. Born in New York City in 1820, he was the owner of the Taylor & Bloodgood felt mill, Clark’s largest factory. He died on October 27, 1898, and is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.

WILLIAM J. THOMPSON. William J. Thompson (May 9, 1836–January 21, 1919) was the 5th, 7th, and 19th mayor of Clark. He served in 1876 and 1881, and also from 1903 to 1910. A Democrat and lifelong Clark resident, he also served as president of the Clark Board of Education, township clerk, tax collector, and dog catcher. He is interred in Hazelwood Cemetery in Clark.

HUGH HARTSHORNE BOWNE. Hugh Hartshorne Bowne (November 30, 1814–May 18, 1881) was the sixth mayor of Clark. He was a Republican. Born of Colonial ancestry, he served in politics on all levels. A founding father of Clark, and Union County in 1857, he was held in high esteem at the local, state, and national levels of government. A devout Quaker, he died in office on May 18, 1881, and is laid to rest in Hazelwood Cemetery.

GEORGE HARTSHORNE. George Hartshorne (September 30, 1822–December 22, 1910) was the eighth mayor of Clark. He served from 1882 to 1884. He was a Republican. Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, he lived in Clark, on Quaker Road, better known as Lake Avenue, on his family’s estate. He retired from farming and politics and moved back to Pennsylvania in his later years. He died on December 22, 1910, and is buried in his family’s plot in Hazelwood Cemetery.

WILLIAM H. ENDERS. William H. Enders (February 25, 1831–November 24, 1904) was the 9th and 11th mayor of Clark. He served from 1885 to 1886 and 1887 to 1889. He was a Republican. Enders was involved in all aspects of the development of Clark. Serving as town committeeman and the longest serving tax collector, he died at the age of 74 in his home on Old Raritan Road on November 24, 1904. He is buried in Rahway Cemetery.

JOHN W. WARD. John W. Ward (1841–1897) was the 10th mayor of Clark. A Democrat, he served from March 12, 1887, to November 3, 1887. He was the manager of the Helca gun powder mill, on Valley Road, and the brother of Caroline Ward Russell, Clark’s foremost first lady. On September 20, 1887, his daughter Susanna, age 13, died, and the family moved out of the state. He is laid to rest in Marlboro, New York.

JOHN A. HALIDAY. John A. Haliday (March 25, 1825–September 19, 1905) was the 12th mayor of Clark. He served from 1890 to 1891. He was a Democrat. Born in New York City, he was a longtime community servant and served as a member of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. He was also a farmer. Haliday Street is named in ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• One - THE FARMERS
• Two - THE MAYORS
• Three - THE POLICE
• Four - JULY 4, 1971
• Five - THE CLARK VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY SQUAD
• Six - THE CLARK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
• Seven - SCHOOL DAYS
• Eight - OUR TOWN
• Nine - PORTRAITS OF DISTINCTION
• Ten - FALLEN HEROES