Jessie Hayden Clark
(Mrs. J. Addison Clark)
CLOSES HISTORIC HOME
Late Sunday afternoon Jessie Clark locked an empty house on Robinson Prairie, east of Nine-Mile stretch, and left for Chicago to live with her daughter, Doris Rizer. The house is empty, no doubt for the first time in 114 years. The first part of it was built by Joseph Addison Clark who, upon his arrival from New York State in 1837, took up a section of land from the government and became one of the earliest settlers in Lake County.Joseph Addison Clark reared a large family there and among his children were George and Joseph, Jr. The land was parcelled among them as they grew up and some time after the pioneer's death the homestead and remaining acreage was purchased by son George. Joseph Jr. owned and farmed his part of the section and left it to a son, J. Addison Clark, who sold it and bought the homestead from Uncle George in 1902, about two years after his marriage to Jessie Hayden of West Creek, near Sherburnville, Illinois. Addison passed way last February.
During the afternoon before leaving, Mrs. Clark held an auction sale of household goods that provided neighbors and other friends who filled the yard with an opportunity to say their farewells. She has lived there for 52 years and was known on the prairie as a willing and co-operative neighbor. In fact she was very active in the Meet Your Neighbor club as well as in the Indian Trail Grange and her Home Economics club.
Jessie was born in West Creek March 9, 1876, attended the township school and Valparaiso university and returned to West Creek to teach before her marriage to Addison in 1900.
A son Donald lives in Lowell, Joseph in Milford and George farms east of Lowell near Dinwiddie station. A daughter Ruth, Mrs. George Fisher, lives in Chicago and Doris, Mrs. Charles Rizer, in Villa Park, Illinois. Mrs. Clark's family now numbers 12 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Go to Jessie Hayden, "Pioneer History Index," for further information.
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