Hello, I'd like to repost my interest in a James CLARK/E who was born anywhere around 1790 to 1800 .. "somewhere." He is one of my two "solidly built, concrete-block walls" on the same branch of my family tree. A brief summary is that James "appears" in Little Compton, RI, in the 1820's, marries in nearby Westport, MA, in 1829, has a daughter there in 1836, and "disappears" in the 1840's ! A better explanation is that, when he married in 1829 in Westport, he stated he was previously from Little Compton. He married a recent widow who had 3 children, Mrs. Rhoda (MANCHESTER) LAVARE. They had a daughter, Mary Anna "Molly" CLARK, in 1836. James is not in the household with his wife, daughter, and step-children in the 1850 Census. The natural "assumption" is that he had died during the 1840's. But, a "distant cousin" found out that a James CLARK had gotten on a ship in New Bedford in 1844, heading for the Indian Ocean. This James "deserted ship" in Australia ! ...... While reviewing the notes on my grandmother's story, I was reminded that, when she married, she reported her birth-father as being... William CLARK ! And, I have "no clue" who this person is ! My "gut feeling" is that James and William CLARK/E were members of a CLARK family in CT, RI, or MA. I have a "suspicion" that Mrs. Mary (CLARK) DEXTER was in touch with CLARK family members after she married. Betty (near Lowell, MA) FYI: For newcomers to the List, my grandmother's "story" is a very long one, and I've posted it on the Lists before. A quick summary is that: In the 1850's in Stonington, CT, Mary "Molly" CLARK of Westport, MA, married John DEXTER of Killingly, CT, and they lived in Killingly. They had 3 daughters, but only one lived to adulthood. Mrs. Clara (DEXTER) YOUNG of Killingly was married with a 6-year-old son, Earle YOUNG, when her parents "strangely" left Killingly to move to Boston. Coincidentally, "someone" got pregnant with my grandmother - around the same time ("summer of 1888"). In 1892, John and Molly DEXTER, while in their late 50's, formally adopted a baby girl, then 3, and they renamed her .. Mary Anna Clark DEXTER. My "educated guess" is that Mrs. Clara YOUNG, back in Killingly, had an "unwanted pregnancy" which did not involve her husband. And, in order to keep a "small town scandal" down to a low roar, the baby girl was brought to Boston, and the DEXTER's moved there to have the baby live with them. Unfortunately, Mrs. DEXTER died in 1899, and Mary "Mamie" DEXTER (aka Mary "Mamie" CLARK) went to live in the Boston Female Orphans Asylum. Mr. DEXTER sold the house in Melrose and moved to Boston, and I believe he remained in contact with his Adoptive daughter (probable granddaughter) until his death in 1905. My grandmother remained in "homes" until ~1909. (There is a great deal more of this story. And, during this summer, I hope to write up a "short story" (actually a long story) including all aspects of my grandmother's childhood !) One aspect is that it has just occurred to me that the YOUNG and CROSBY families of Killingly, CT, must have remained in contact with my grandmother after 1905. My grandmother married in 1911, and lived in both Somerville and Medford (KERR family). And, yet, her nephew-by way of Adoption, Earle YOUNG, was able to make contact with her after several of her children had been born. So, he must have known her married name. (I believe that Earle YOUNG of Killingly, and later New Haven, CT, was actually her half-brother, 7 years older than she was.)