The Clark Family roots can be traced to a mulatto slave on the Thomas H. Wooding Plantation called “Little Cherrystone”. Oral history indicates that her name was Esther (affectionately known as “Legacy”). Records at the Chatham Courthouse indicate that she was born in Richmond and died in 1857 at the age 60.
The dream of establishing a Clark family reunion by the children of James and Anner Clark and Richard and Mary Bett Clark became a reality in 1955. A meeting was held in 1954, four years after the passing of Anner Carter Clark, the wife of James Walker Clark, to discuss a family reunion that would be held each year.
The Clark Family Crest was designed by Lawrence Mozell Clark to represent the values that are held dear to the Clark Family. The symbols representing love, faith, unbreakable ties, and the history that our fore-fathers fought for. A motto of being Tough-Minded and Tender Hearted.
The Clark Family — Tough-Minded & Tender-Hearted — Reuniting Since 1955.
We are excited to announce the 72nd Annual Clark Family Reunion, to be held in Chatham, Virginia on Friday, August 1, 2026 — with a Fish Fry the evening before on Thursday, July 31, 2026. Registration is $50 per person. We look forward to seeing family from near and far as we continue the tradition started in 1955 by our ancestors.
Our story begins with Esther, a woman of extraordinary resilience whose descendants would go on to build one of Chatham, Virginia’s most enduring family legacies. From her strength grew a family tree spanning generations — through her grandson William Henry Clark and his sons James Walker Clark and Richard Clark, whose combined 32 children became the foundation of everything we are today.
In 1955, the family gathered for the very first Clark Family Reunion. More than 70 years later, we still gather — still honoring those roots, still building those bonds.
First Reunion
Founding Offspring
Years of Reunions
Chatham Roots
Honoring the legacy of James Walker Clark and Richard Clark, and all the generations that followed from Chatham, Virginia.
