- MICHAEL F. CLARK, one of the prominent agriculturists of Deer Creek township, Outagamie county, who is cultivating a tract of seventy-two acres situated on sections 19 and 30, was born in Ireland, March 17, 1859, and is a son of Robert and Frances (Tierney) Clark. Mr. Clark's parents were married in Ireland and came to America about 1885, settling in Chicago, Illinois, where the mother died in the fall of 1909, at the age of sixty-five years, while her husband still resides there and is about seventy years old. Michael F. Clark was the eldest of a family of nine children. He came to America with his sister, his parents soon following and secured a position driving a meat wagon for his aunt, who was living in Chicago at that time, but about one year later entered the services of the Michigan Central Railroad; and for five years was employed in the freight house of that company. He then went to Linn county, Iowa, where he worked for wages on a farm, remaining there about two years and then returned to Chicago, where for six years he was employed by the Economy Furniture Company as a stove repairer. Later he was engaged with the William Hoyt Wholesale Grocery Company for six or seven years, at the end of which time he came to Deer Creek township to settle on the old homestead of his father-in-law, part of which he purchased and the other part inherited by his wife. He has since been engaged in general farming and stock raising and markets dairy products, hogs and some grain. On January 25, 1892, Mr. Clark was married to Miss Mary A. Murphy, who was born August 7, 1858, the eldest of the nine children born to Daniel and Joanna (Crowley) Murphy, natives of Ireland. Daniel Murphy came to America as a young man, and for a number of years was engaged in various occupations, being employed on railroads, canals and southern levees, until coming to Deer Creek township and purchasing a wild farm. Mrs. Murphy came to this country in girlhood, her parents first locating in New York and later removing to Horicon, Wisconsin, where she and Mr. Murphy were married, and where they resided for about six years. At this time there were still numerous wild animals to be found in this region, and Mrs. Clark tells of many exciting experiences of the early days, when it was necessary to build large bonfires to keep the wild beasts away from the little home, when the bears would come to the farm and steal the hogs, and when deer would flee at the approach of members of the family in the morning. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have had three children: Daniel R., attending St. Norbet's College, West DePere, Wisconsin; Francis J., who is living at home; and Robert, who died when two years, two months and twenty days old. Mr. and Mrs. Clark are members of the Catholic Order of Foresters of Chicago, and attend St. Mary's Catholic Church at Welcome. In politics, Mr. Clark is a Democrat, and he has served two terms as a member of the village board of trustees.
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1859 - 1922 (63 years)
Biography
