This family history got its start with Isobel Kiefer McCain and even before her. She was focused on the Kiefers and McCains and passed a lot of information on to me. I have researched the other lines shown here. Not always expecting to find much, I was amazed when some lines reached into the 16th Century on Ancestry.com. I decided to limit this round of research to people and events after 1600. A note of warning: I haven’t always followed the strict guidelines of genealogy. I have been so pleased to find ancestors that I may have accepted a few incorrect suggestions. Let me know when you see such errors.
Welcome to the Clarke-Davis family history website. It is very much still under construction. The overall intent here is to present the ancestry and cousins of the six grandchildren of Robert D. Clarke (Bob) and Elizabeth J. McCain Clarke (BJ). The first installment is the ancestral family trees of the Clarke, Sippel, McCain, and Kiefer lines, which lead to my four siblings and me. The second installment will be the ancestry of the Davis, Kroupa, Bohannon, and Hudgins lines, which lead to Betty Lou Davis Clarke. The third and fourth installments will be the lines leading to Mary Ann Heywood Clarke and Susan Turner Clarke. Eventually the “20th Century” people will be brought in, those who descend from the eight lines listed. Besides the descendants of Bob and BJ, this group will include lots of cousins. “20th Century” refers to anyone born after 1900. Further down the road, narrative histories of the several lines and the 20th Century people will appear. Feedback would be much appreciated, including additional information and corrections.
Often, as people mature from children to adults and live their lives, they know only a little about their family history. We may learn from our parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, but sometimes our lives don’t overlap with the older folks for long.
My wife, for instance, was an only child; her family moved to Florida when she was very young, at a distance from other family rooted in Virginia. Two of her grandparents died when she was a small child. Her father died when she was a young adult. Like many people, my wife did not know a great deal about her family history. If someone develops an interest in their later years, there may not be elders still living of whom to ask questions.
On the other hand, as a young adult, I took an interest in my family’s ancestors and collected stories from my parents, one grandmother, and other family members.
You can use this area to add links to your history pages, people pages or your favorite resources.
Each of us has two parents, four grandparents, eight great grandparents, continuing back in time. When the family tree gets back to the tenth generation, it had 1024 members. These numbers may seem scrambled by divorces and second marriages, but genetically they are valid. Adoptions may cause confusion, too. Often as the research goes back in time, connections can’t be found. The quality and availability of birth, marriage, and death records vary geographically and by time period. Several of the family tree lines shown here go back to before 1600, while documentation on the Kroupa line is quite short due to language barriers.
You can use this area for a short sentence before the surname cloud.
We make every effort to document our research. If you have something you would like to add, please contact us.
