George 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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