Language of Material: English

Contributing Institution: Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento Room

Title: Guide to the Jasper M. Clark Letter

Identifier/Call Number: MC 90

Physical Description: .125 Linear Feet 1 Archival Folder

Date: 1899

Abstract: This collection contains a hand-written letter and the envelope in which it was mailed. Penned in the Florin district of Sacramento County, California by Jasper M. Clark, the letter contains details about several pieces of land and Clark's experience in the Sacramento area. The letter's intended recipient was Clark's wife, Catherine Clark.

Jasper Marion Clark was born in Forest, Wisconsin on June 28, 1857 to Jeremiah and Mary Clark. The son of a merchant, Jasper Clark married his wife Catherine in Wisconsin in 1882. The couple had 7 children between 1886 and 1905: Lulu born 1886, Monroe born 1890, Nellie born 1892, Orval born 1894, Neva born 1898, Lyman born 1900, and Thurman born 1905. After leaving Wisconsin for South Dakota, the family settled in Grant Township, G County, Oklahoma between 1892 and 1894. In 1896 G County became known as Custer County. In Oklahoma, Clark owned and operated a farm on which his crops included millet. Clark passed away on June 29, 1934, one day after his 77th birthday. He was interred at the Independence Cemetery in Custer County, Oklahoma. Catherine Clark was born in Wisconsin in November 1864. She passed away in 1936 and was interred with her husband at the Independence Cemetery in Custer County, Oklahoma.

This collection contains a personal letter and the envelop in which it was mailed. The letter is hand written across three double-sided, lined leaves of paper. The letter was hand written in pencil by Jasper M. Clark and intended for his wife Catherine Clark and children. Within, Clark discussed the financial value of several pieces of Yolo county land including swampland and farmland which grew alfalfa and barley. Clark went on to write about the Sacramento area's swift temperature changes, the harvesting of crops back in Oklahoma, and his timeline for concluding his business in Sacramento. The envelope is torn open along its left edge and is missing its top right corner. It is stamped once on its front side and twice on the back. Both sides of the envelope are stained with dirt. It is addressed to Clark's wife in their home of Custer County, Oklahoma.

[Identification of item], Jasper M. Clark Letter, MC 90, Sacramento Room, Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento, California.