George Clark
George and Alice A. (Farnham) Clark
George Clark, one of the public-spirited and progressive men
of Franklin township whose labors have been of material and
substantial value to the community in the line of general
progress, is known throughout Allamakee county as the owner of
the Forest Mills, wherein he manufactures graham and rye flour
and all kinds of feed. He is, moreover, the owner of two fine
farms, his holdings aggregating six hundred acres of land, and he
is classed with the most prosperous and progressive farmers and
stock-raisers of the community in which he resides. He was born
in this township, three miles east of Forest Mills, January 5,
1858, and is a son of Belfield Carter and Mary (Powell) Clark,
the former a native of Tennessee, born in 1830, and the latter of
Indiana, born in 1831. The father moved to Illinois when he was a
young man and located at Woodstock, Illinois, whence in 1849 he
moved to Iowa, entering land in Franklin township, Allamakee
county, among the earliest pioneers. Frontier conditions
prevailed everywhere, a wilderness of prairie and timber lands
stretched for miles on all sides, and wild game abounded in the
forests. The tract which Belfield Carter Clark acquired was
entirely unimproved and a dense growth of timber had to be
cleared away before the work of cultivation could be begun. With
characteristic energy and determination he set himself to this
work and it was finally accomplished, the farm gradually
developing into one of the finest in this section of the state.
The father continued to make his home upon it until 1887 and then
moved to the vicinity of Grand Rapids, Wisconsin, where he
resided for about one year. At the end of that time he returned
to Iowa for a visit and here died in 1888. During his residence
in this state he held various important local offices, serving
his township with credit and distinction and making his name
known and honored as a progressive and public-spirited citizen.
His wife survives him and now makes her home in Waukon, this
county. She and her husband were the parents of six children, of
whom the subject of this review is the third in order of birth.
George Clark acquired his education in the district schools of
his native township and from his childhood was familiar with the
best and most practical agricultural methods, having gained this
knowledge through personal experience upon the homestead. At the
age of twenty he purchased land in Franklin township and turned
his attention to farming, continuing upon that property for about
ten years. At the end of that time he disposed of his holdings
and moved into Waukon, where until September, 1908, he engaged in
bridge building and general contracting. Upon that date he
returned to Franklin township and purchased what is known all
over Allamakee county as the Forest Mills. In them he has
installed modern equipment and he has given a great deal of
attention to their operation since that time, manufacturing all
kinds of graham and rye flour and also feed. In addition he
operates a sawmill in the vicinity, both being old-established
enterprises in this section of the state. The sawmill was erected
here in the year 1854 and the gristmill built as an addition to
it in 1868. Mr. Clark has kept them in good repair and modern in
equipment and accessories and under his able management they are
both valuable business concerns, yielding heavy profits annually.
In addition to this enterprise Mr. Clark owns also six hundred
acres of land in Allamakee county and operates this as two farms,
both being well improved, well managed and productive properties.
He is interested in other business enterprises and is justly
accounted one of the active, progressive and substantial men in
this section of the state.
On the 26th of September, 1880, Mr. Clark was united in marriage
to Miss Alice A. Farnham, who was born in Wisconsin on the 6th of
May, 1860, a daughter of Daniel I. and Elizabeth (Farington)
Farnham, the former a native of New Brunswick. The parents came
to Iowa about the year 1870 and located at Luana, Clayton county,
where they resided for many years. The father is now living
retired and he and his wife make their home with the subject of
this review. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have become the parents of three
children. Floyd I., born January 11, 1884, married Miss Alice
Winters, a native of this county, and he resides upon his
father’s farm in Franklin township. Dora Isabelle, born
August 3, 1888, is a teacher in the Waukon high school and
resides at home. Gordon Lynn, born August 18, 1893, is also
residing at home.
Fraternally Mr. Clark is affiliated with the Masonic lodge at
Waukon and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
He gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has
been honored by his fellow citizens by election to various
positions of trust and responsibility although he never seeks
public office. In analyzing his life record it will be seen that
persistent, earnest work has constituted the foundation upon
which he has built his prosperity and his diligence may well
serve as an example for others to emulate.
-source: Past & Present of Allamakee County; by
Ellery M. Hancock; S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.; 1913
-transcribed by Linda Earnheart
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