Clark, James R.

James R. Clark, born in Massac County, Illinois, on October 29, 1851, was a progressive and hardworking rancher who became a respected citizen of Fresno County, California. He faced early hardships when his father, Wesley Clark, died when James was two years old, and his mother, Levina Bailey, passed away before he turned seventeen. He grew up in Southern Illinois with limited schooling and worked hard clearing land near the Tennessee River alongside his brother, William Wesley. In 1881, he married Penola Moorehead, the daughter of Henry Moorehead and Jane Ann Metcalf, before moving his family west to California in 1886.

Upon arriving in California, the Clark family settled near Selma, where James improved and sold two ranches and spent ten years leading the local bee business. In 1908, he moved to his present property southwest of Kingsburg, eventually becoming a stockholder in both the California Peach Growers Association and the Kingsburg Packing House. He and his wife raised four surviving children named Artemas, W. H., James Robert Jr., and Viola, and they later welcomed grandchildren into their home. As highly public spirited individuals, the couple dedicated themselves to helping others and cooperating in community movements to improve their neighborhood.