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Lieut. Clark was born in the town of Watervliet on the 27th day of January, 1835. On the 25th day of June, 1835. His father met with an accident while traveling on the Albany and Schenectady railroad, by which he lost his life. He left two children (boys) William being the eldest. Shortly after this affliction Mrs. Clark removed to the city of Albany, where she still resides.
The early life of William was passed without anything of special interest. He received a good common school education and learned the trade of a tinsmith. For a number of years he worked for Mr. E. C. Blakeman, of Albany.
In the year 1860 he was married to Miss Alida Hare, of Esperance, Schoharie county. When the war broke out in the spring of 1861, and the Twenty-fifth Regiment N. Y. S. M. was preparing to take the field, Mr. Clark was among the earliest to volunteer to accompany them. He served faithfully the three months, and on the return of the Twenty-fifth Regiment, finding the Ninety-first N. Y. V. about being organized for three years' service, he, in September, enlisted as Third Sergeant in Company A of that Regiment. He remained with them in the Florida and Louisiana campaign until the battle of Irish Bend, April 14th, 1863, when he fell, shot through the head, while nobly doing his duty in a charge on the enemy. He lived about an hour after being struck, but was not conscious of anything. At the time of his death he was acting as Second Sergeant of his company. A commission as Second Lieutenant from March 9th had been awarded to him, but had not reached him when he fell upon the field.
