Charles Timothy Clark (Tim)
1834-1900
Tim Clark is the great great great great grandfather of Christine Lewis, co-founder of Project Gallantly Forward. He was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on March 1, 1834 and died at 64 years of age on March 6, 1900 in Elk County, Kansas. Tim married a schoolteacher, Harriet Loud Clark (1832-1916), and they had 2 sons, Prentice (1859-1917) and Edgar (1868-1877). At the age of 30, Tim volunteered for service in the First Wisconsin Cavalry on the Union side in the American Civil War on October 29, 1864. Under the command of Lt. Col. Harnden, Tim served in Tennessee (Franklin, Chattanooga, Edgefield, Nashville), Alabama (Waterloo, Jasper, Elyton which is now Birmingham, Centreville, Plantersville, Randolph, Tuscaloosa, Selma, Montgomery), and Georgia (West Point, Columbus, Macon, Forsyth, Dalton, Ringgold). He mustered out in July 19, 1865 in Nashville, having earned the rank of colonel. A letter from Tim to Harriet written from March 21 to April 7, 1865 describes the dangerous struggles he and his comrades faced as they were on assignment in Alabama.
In 1870, Tim and Harriet moved to a farm near Howard, Kansas. “Uncle Tim” was known for his handsome stallion, John A. Logan which was a Strangemore colt, and his general purpose stallion, Prince Jr., as well as for his cattle. He passed away after several years of illness. The Howard Courant stated that Tim “has seen the country grown from a wild prairie range into its present improved condition. He was a prosperous farmer, an honest man and a good citizen” (3.9.1900 edition). Their son, Prentice was also a farmer and an accomplished carpenter in the Elk County, Kansas area. Prentice and Lydia Long Clark (1857- 1922) had one daughter, Nellie Pearl (1884-1918) who married Frank Robertson (1880-1960), proprieter of the Moline Mercantile. They had 6 children, one of which was Christine’s beloved Great Grandma Claire Robertson Beu (1904-1999). Claire and Raleigh Beu (1903-1980) and many other relatives are buried in the cemeteries of Elk County, Kansas. This is a rural area that grew tremendously due to the railroad built in the area and now is very small again. The town of Moline as of 2025 had a population of 338, but it is dear to those who are related to the Clark, Robertson, Long, and Beu families there.
