Thomas Hiram “Harmon” Clark was born about 1844 in Harlan County, KY, son
of John Clarkston and Sarah McKinney.
He served in the Union army in Company C of the BAT, which was the Three
Forks Battalion (a state guard unit) during the Civil War.
About 1865 Harmon married his 1st cousin, Nancy Clark, daughter of Catherine
Clarkston and John Payne. Nancy was born about 1847. Harmon was said to
have pursued Nancy until she became his wife. Oral tradition from Alma Hobbs
says Nancy had been married before to a Hoskins man. The 1910 census data
does support a marriage for Nancy prior to Thomas as she is listed as being in
her 2nd marriage.
Based on Tax and Census records, it appears that Harmon and Nancy lived in
Harlan County, KY until sometime between 1900 and 1910, as they are listed as
living in Lee County, VA in the 1910 census. The 1870 Harlan County, KY
census lists two children in their home, William, born about 1867 and Mary, born
about 1869.
In about 1870, a daughter, Nervesta, is born, followed by a son John in 1874, a
son Thomas in 1876 and then a daughter Elizabeth about 1879.
It is during this time that the tragedies began with this family.
On 5 Feb 1877, Harmon killed his nephew, William Tipton Morris, son of Lucinda
Clarkston and Allen Morris. According to the Harlan County death records,
Tipton Morris “died from a stabbing after killing a married man”. Oral tradition of
A. Hobbs and Zion Payne was that Harmon was sent to prison for the killing of a
relative over a cup of salt. Harmon Clark is missing from Harlan County tax rolls
between 1876 and 1880, with his wife Nancy listed on the rolls in 1880. Harmon
then appears consistently on the Harlan Tax rolls from 1881 on. In the 1880
census, Harmon is listed with his family but his occupation is listed as “convict”.
These records tend to support the tradition that Harmon spent some time in
prison for the killing of his nephew. The actual amount of time and the exact
years that Harmon spent in prison is not known.
Between 1880 and 1900, Thomas and Nancy had 5 more children. Sometime
during that period of time, 8 of the 11 children of Thomas and Nancy died of
"bloody flux" (tuberculosis). The following is told by Zion Payne:
“When he (Harmon) got out of [the] pen all his kids were dead. They had
died with flux during the flux epidemic. Harmon cried so loud [you] could
hear him all over the hillside. Tom, Willie and the girl were born after he
got out of the pen.”
It is assumed that these deaths occurred between 1880 and 1900, most likely
prior to 1890. Tuberculosis was the cause of death of many infants and children
in this time and historians have documented that there were tuberculosis
outbreaks in Harlan, KY during this period. In both the 1900 and 1910 census,
Nancy lists that she is the mother of 11 children, with only 3 children still living. It
is unknown if the 8 children died at one time or over a period of years,
nevertheless, the tragedy was still the same. Perhaps Nancy got some
consolation from the loss of her 8 children as in 1890, Nancy gave birth to
another son and he is given the name of William, apparently named after their
firstborn son William who was one of the 8 children that died from Tuberculosis.
Nervesta, Thomas, jr. and the second son named William were the only children
of Thomas and Nancy still living by 1900.
With only 3 of their 11 children still living after 1910, the tragedies were still not
over. Zion Payne adds the following:
“Bob McNeil lived down [the] R. R. tracks. Harmon had a boy named
Willie Clark that went to see Bob’s girl Verda McNeil. Bob got mad at
Willie and hit him on the head with a fireplace shovel and killed him. Willie
Clark is buried in Sigma graveyard. The McNeil girl married Harrison
Holmes.”
This Willie Clark refers to the second son of Thomas and Nancy named William,
as Verda (Alverda) McNeil was born in 1899. This story is supported by the
death certificate of William Clark. William died 21 Nov 1914. The incident
described above apparently occurred on 16 Nov 1914 as he was under doctor
care from that date until his death, five days later. The cause of death on the
death certificate lists “Meningitis caused by wounds on head made by some blunt
instrument.” Listed as a contributory factor in the death - “was hit by Pistol”.
Less than four months after the death of William Clark, on 5 Mar 1915, Nancy
Clark died, leaving Harmon behind as a widower. According to her death
certificate, Nancy was buried in the A. Payne Cemetery In Lee County, most
likely in an unmarked grave. It is assumed that this is the Payne cemetery near
Cox’s Creek, Lee County, VA, the burial ground of her father’s descendants,
however, she could have been buried in the Sigma – Payne in Lee County
cemetery where her son William was buried.
Harmon’s death date is unknown but according to the Payne family, at his death,
Harmon was carried to the top of Big Black Mountain and buried near other of his
kinfolk.