As I have been writing this account of the Clark family of Durham, I've discovered a terrible black hole of information for this area. The entire area was Dover until Durham became its own town in 1732. Madbury became its own town in 1755 and lies between Dover and Durham. Barrington became its own town in 1722 although not settled until much later and lastly Lee became its own town in 1766. These last three towns were part of Durham and Dover (or each other). Sometimes people didn't move but the lines drawn around them moved. A farm in Dover, in the Oyster River Parish [Durham] in fifty years could easily be in Madbury, being the same physical location.
The Rev. Hugh Adams kept vital records for the parish of Oyster River (later Durham) from 1712 to 1730. These records are published in the New England Historical & Genealogical Register. There are few family records in the Durham Town Records which were then published in the early New Hampshire Genealogical Record. However, by and large, there are no vital records of any sort for Durham from 1730 to the 19th century [literally 1850 or so].
As the towns shifted into Madbury, Barrington, and Lee, those towns began their own vital records in their own town records. However, none begin sooner that about 1760s and most are from the 1770s and later. So for the period 1730-1760 there truly is nada. And, of course, as my Clarks happen to position themselves historically, that is the crux of the third generation I am studying.
Hi Michael, I am of the same lineage of Clark's that you have written about earlier. My mother's cousin, Michael, sent her some information saying that he had a friend researching "their grandfathers". She didn't do much with the information but I am having a wonderful time. I can't find much on the the women's lines but have had better success with the male lineage. Are you still working on the this same line of Clarks?
Janet
Posted by: Arnoldjs | 06/15/2011 at 11:05 PM