William M. Clark

Black male, about 60 years old at the time of his death at 7 a.m. on 27 MAY 1927 at the Escambia County Poor Farm. His death certificate indicates he was married, though his wife’s name is not provided. He was a peanut seller by trade, born in North Carolina; the informant knew nothing about his parents. He had lived in Pensacola for 35 years before his death there. He died of parenchymatous nephritis, from which he had suffered about five months, beginning in January 1927. The informant on the death certificate was Superintendent [J.R.] Steward of the Poor Farm; the physician was V.R. Nobles. He was buried at the Escambia County Poor Farm cemetery the day of his death by T.M. Lloyd Co.

There are two men of color named William Clark in the City Directory of Pensacola for 1927: One of them lived at 1122 E. Fisher St. and worked as a laborer; the other lived at 1608 N. Alcaniz and worked as a porter for L E Nobles & Co. (a menswear store).  The Fisher Street household included Alf, who worked as a laborer; Daniel Jr., a laborer; Lee, a porter at the Saenger Theatre; and Peter, a laborer at Ferriss Lee Lumber Co. There were no other Clarks listed at 1608 N. Alcaniz.

The next most recent directory available is the 1924 edition. This directory still shows two men of color named William Clark: one a driver living with Daniel Clark, the other a laborer living at 411 E. DeSoto. Daniel Clark was married to Fannie, worked as a laborer at Ferriss-Lee Lumber Co and lived on N 12th Ave 1 block north of 25th St. Also in the household was Daniel Jr., who worked as a porter at Pensacola Hospital. Lee Clark is listed in the directory as a laundress at Pensacola Hospital, but her residence is not given. There are no other Clarks listed at 411 E. DeSoto.

The 1920 Federal Census for Escambia County enumerated a William Clark boarding in the household of Clara Whittaker. The house was at 411 DeSoto Street. William was identified as a Black male, 68 years old and married. He was born in North Carolina but his parents were identified only as being from the U.S.A. He worked as a laborer in a shipyard and was literate. Clara was 67 years old, a Black female, widowed. She was born in Florida of two parents from North Carolina, and worked as a laundress. There is no one else enumerated in the household.

In the 1921 directory, there is one man named William Clark, a driver for B.F. Hardy; however, he lacks the asterisk next to his name that would identify him as a man of color. Not enough information is given in this edition of the directory to piece together the other Clark household.

The 1919 and 1916 City Directories show no men named William Clark/Clarke; however, there is one in the 1913 directory, a man of color who worked as a laborer and lived at 708 N. 10th Ave. There is an (m) beside his name, the meaning of which is not included in the list of abbreviations at the front of the directory – it may mean “mulatto.” Also in the household was Margaret Clark, a laundress. Neither of them appear in the 1911 directory; however, Wm Clark, laborer, boarded at 704 E. Gonzalez St. in the 1910 City Directory. Also in the household at 704 E. Gonzalez was Margaret Clark, a widow working as a cook, and Hattie Clark, a domestic. In the 1909 Directory, Margaret Clark appeared living as a boarder at 1416 San Carlos, working as a domestic. Also in the household was Charles Clark, a pipe fitter. There is are two William Clarks, neither of whom lived at that address nor were they identified as men of color. A William Clark appeared in the 1908 Directory, a laborer living at 1118 N. Tarragona. No one else is listed at that address.  This William Clark lived at the same address in 1907. In the 1905 Directory, William Clark, laborer at the Goulding Fertilizer Co., lived at 1208 N. Tarragona. (Interestingly, the Goulding Fertilizer Co. was just south of the Poor Farm.) In 1903, William Clark at 1208 N. Tarragona worked as a drayman. No William Clark (Black) appears previous to 1903.

The Escambia County marriage records show two William Clarks, both men of color. One married Mary Baines on 17 June 1916 (Rev. John Forbes); and the other married Beatrice Spann on 26 June 1918 (Rev. C.A. Holley, Pastor 2nd A.M.E. Church of Pensacola).

Unfortunately, none of these records contain enough information to positively identify the William Clark named in them as the subject of the death certificate (with, perhaps, the exception of the 1920 census record, which has the right state of birth).

SOURCES:

Florida Certificate of Death for Wm. M Clark (No 7768), Florida Deaths, 1877-1939. Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.

Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Marriage Records of Escambia County, Florida, 1821-1900. Transcribed and published under the aegis of the West Florida Genealogical Society, Pensacola, 2009.