The Newton County, Texas Stark Families Book 1: Our Early Connecticut Ancestors William Hawley Stark & Martha C. Whitman Newton County, Texas Courthouse Bon Wier, Newton County, Texas Copyright © 2003 Self Published by Clovis LaFleur & Pauline Stark Moore; Editorial Assistance by Donn Neal All Rights Reserved. By posting this copyright it is our intention to date this material. Reproduction of portions of this text will be discouraged by the authors if they do not receive credit and credit is not given to those, past and present, who have made major contributions to our knowledge of the Stark Families presented in this text. 1 2 About The Authors Clovis LaFleur Pauline Stark Moore Descendant of Prudence Jane Stark who married William Descendant of Asa Lafitte Stark who married Matilda Dona- "Bill" Herrin. They had a son named Edward Herrin who ho. They had a son named John Lawhorn Stark who married married Georgian Zachary. Their daughter was Maude Mae Mary Martha Zachary. Their son was Oliver Eugene Stark Herrin who married Oakdale, Louisiana Pentecostal Pastor, who married Cynthia Melinda Marlow. Their son was Clar- Rev. Robert L. LaFleur. Their son was Clovice LaFleur, Sr. ence M. Stark who married Bertha Mae Hunter who were the who married Eva May Russell who were the parents of Clovis parents of Pauline Eugenia (Stark) Moore. LaFleur. Acknowledgements There are many researchers, past and present, who contributed to the family histories compiled for this publication. Contributors to the Colonial Years in Connecticut were Gwen Boyer Bjorkman, Donn Neal, Neal Lowe, and Mary Stark. Sharon Reck, Gwen Boyer Bjorkman, and Donn Neal supplied much of the information which proved Asahel Stark of Indiana was the son of Christopher Stark (Junior); born in Groton, New London County, Connecticut in 1728. And one must give credit to past Stark Family researchers like Charles R. Stark and Helen Stark. Their early research into the Aaron Stark Families of America were the starting point for most of our research and provided us with data and material which enhanced our understanding of the times and places where our ancestors lived. Their early research is truly remarkable when one considers the complexity of compiling their family stories 100 years ago. Without the research of Neal Lowe, we would not know today that Daniel R. Stark —resident of West Baton Rogue Parish, Louisiana who died in 1820 — was the father of our four Newton County, Texas siblings and further proved Daniel was the son of the above Asahel Stark. Contributors to our research in Newton County were the Newton County Historical Commission, Stark Family Association of Texas, Mary Stark, Bonnie Smith, Gladys Zachary Skinner, Floyd Boyett, Ruby Burkett, Lena Hughes, and many others. Finally, we are sure we have overlooked other major contributors to this publication for which we sincerely apologize. November 4, 2003 3 Dedication This publication is dedicated to the memory of Charles Rathbone Stark, whose 1927 publication entitled “The Aaron Stark Family, Seven Generations”, was the beginning of this journey into the past. His compilation of the descendants of Aaron Stark —an ambitious undertaking for 1927 — was instrumental to our genealogical research, and contributed to much of the material to be presented about our early ancestors who lived in Connecticut. While there were several inaccurate placements of the ancestors of our four Newton County siblings, his publications contributed to the Colonial Years material presented in our book. This book is dedicated to him and all of the past and present Stark Family researchers who contributed their time, research material, and family histories. May future Stark family researchers improve on these pages —already obsolete as they are being written — producing research of their own which will surpass these humble efforts to preserve the history of our Newton County, Texas descendants. Stark Family Association of Texas These pages are also dedicated to past & present members of this association who contributed much of the genealogical data and family stories presented. Many have passed on while many are still living. By providing the information on these pages, the Association hopes to preserve and make available to the public, all of the many hours of research these dedicated members have contributed to our knowledge of this branch Charles Rathbone Stark of Aaron Stark's descendants. In 1981, Mary Burns Stark and Pauline Stark Moore were on a field trip to a cemetery in Franklin, Texas looking for information on their relatives. While there, they met a couple of women visiting the cemetery. During their conversation, Mary and Pauline enquired about the Stark family members they were researching. These women told them there was a one armed man who lived near Hearne, Texas named Otis E. Stark. When Mary and Pauline located him, they found the descendents of David Dewitte Stark (son of Asa Stark and his 2nd wife, Hester Ann Ford). Mary and Pauline were invited to join them in their next family reunion in Hearne. As a result of this reunion held In 1982, the "Asa Lafitte Stark Family Association of Texas" was founded and for several years thereafter, the reunions were held at the Fireman's Hall in Hearne. Many reunions were held until 1999. That year, the newsletter was published; but a reunion was not held due to illness and old age of the members. At about the same time of the cemetery encounter, Pauline and Mary met descendants of William Bennett Stark and met for the first time, Inez Stark Wilson, a resident of Waco, Texas. Inez became the source of considerable information about Asa Lafitte and contributed this photograph of Asa to the Association. Inez died in 1992, just four months short of her 100th birthday. The organization's original members were descendants of Asa Lafitte Stark. Orga- nized similar to the National Stark Family Association founded in August of 1895 by Asahel “Asa” Lafitte Stark the descendants of Aaron Stark of Groton, Connecticut, they met for social exchange and discussion of the family history and stories. At a later meeting, the name was changed to "The Stark Family Association of Texas" to distinguish it from the National Stark Family Association. Asa's brother, William Hawley Stark, who married Elizabeth Zachary, was the first to arrive in Jasper County, Texas around 1836, (In 1846, the area where they settled became part of Newton County after Jasper County was divided.) followed soon after by Asa and then later by his sisters Prudence Jane Stark who married William Herrin and Sarah Mariah Stark who married John Taylor Lewis. In the year 2000, descendants off Asa Lafitte Stark's siblings joined with the Asa Stark Descendants to form the present day Association, all descendants of Daniel R. Stark and Nancy Hawley, arriving in Louisiana about 1816 from New York State. Research by the Asa Stark descendants discovered Daniel R. Stark was the son of Asahel Stark of New York, who was the son of Christopher Stark, Jr. who was the son of Christopher Stark, Sr. and Joanna Walworth, who was the son of William Stark and Elizabeth, who was the son of Aaron Stark [1608-1685] and Sarah, all of Groton Township, Connecticut. This is but one branch of a large number of descendant branches of Aaron Stark. 4 Preface These publications are a compilation of the ancestors and descendants of four siblings with the surname Stark who moved to Texas in 1836 and settled in an area that became Newton County when Texas was admitted to the Union on the 28th day of December 1845. Their names were William Hawley Stark, Sarah Mariah Stark, Prudence Jane Stark, and Asahel “Asa” Lafitte Stark. They were seventh generation descendants of Aaron Stark [1608-1685] of New London County, Connecticut who migrated to the Massachu- setts Bay Colony from England between 1630 and 1637, and was among the first who settled along the Connecticut River near Hartford, Connecticut in 1636. In 1669, he settled in an area which became known as Groton Township, New London County, Connecticut in 1705. Two other families with the surname Stark, neither related to Aaron Stark, arrived in America around 1720 to 1725. Aaron was not related to the family of General John Stark of Revolutionary War fame for this family did not arrive in America until around 1720 and settled in New Hampshire. Around 1725, James Stark arrived in Stafford County, Virginia, most likely from Scotland. As the descendants of these three families with the surname Stark began to move west, they settled in the same areas which caused considerable confusion for Stark family researchers. However, it is important for future researchers to know these three American Stark families will have origins in either Connecticut, New Hampshire, or Virginia. Those who have participated in the Stark Family Y-DNA Project have been found to be descendants of many genetically unrelated families having the surname Stark or one of it's derivatives. However, the majority of the participants are descendants of families that settled in New Hampshire, Virginia, and Connecticut. Contrary to the beliefs of some earlier researchers, the Stark Family Y-DNA Project has confirmed the descendants of Aaron Stark are not related to the descendants of the New Hampshire and Virginia families. A known male descendant of Asahel “Asa” Lafitte Stark (Project Member #78078) —having the surname Stark — has been genetically confirmed to share Aaron Stark [1608-1685] as a common ancestor with other known descendants of Aaron in the project genetically tested. The four siblings mentioned were not related to John Thomas Stark, born December 19, 1821 in Preble County, Ohio and who died September 23, 1893 in Orange County, Texas.