Notes for William Squire CLARK

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Notes for William Squire CLARK

Mr. Clark was born in Maryland , [probably Allegany Co.] and his parents moved in his infancy to an area near Cincinatti, Ohio, [Madison in Butler Co.?] where he was reared and educated. With an intense interest in the West coast, he traveled as
a young man to New York to have an interview with the Pacific Coast agent of the John Jacob Astor fur company. He learned from him about the Columbia River region, and decided to strike out for the western United States.
In one of the first overland parties he travelled across the plains in 1846, which took nearly six months. [His account of the trip - "Incidents of the Trip Across the Plains" is in possession of one of his descendants as of 2002]. He went first
to Sutter's Fort, and then on to Yerba Buena, the hamlet from which San Francisco grew. At that time there were just a few houses and tents of Spanish fisherman in the area. Mr. Clark obtained considerable land in the area, some of which he retained
for many years. Clark's Point, on the waterfront, was one of these purchases.In 1848 he was a sucessful miner, but he soon returned to San Francisco. He built the first wharf in the city at the foot of Broadway, and helped build the first schoolhouse
as well. Through his prudent business sense, and keen foresight, he built a large fortune. He never speculated, but made sound business decisions. During the Civil War years he purchased a considerable number of bonds, showing his faith in the U. S.
Government. He became one of the most prominent business leaders of San Francisco, becoming the owner of dozens of city lots. He was a member of the council, president of public meetings, and otherwise active in public affairs. He was also a member of
the San Francisco Pioneer Association.
In 1870 Mr. Clark and his wife settled in San Jose, where he continued to live for the remainder of his life.
He was a charter member of Calvary Presbyterian Church of San Francisco, and one of its trustees at the time of his death. For some time he resided in San Jose, on Shirley Street on the Alameda. He was buried in San Francisco.
[Condensed from obituary San Francisco "Daily Evening Bulletin" 18 November 1889 and Bancroft's "History of California", pp. 760-1].
He made a claim of $7,692 on his brother Jonathan's estate on 12 May , 1884.
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