Erskine Seminary
Associate minister who served in Ireland and then in 1764 emigrated with three hundred members of his Irish congregations to the American colonies. A number of these Irish im- migrants, some with Scottish roots, settled in the northern part of the Province of New York. Another group headed to the Carolinas where they helped establish Lower Long Cane, Cedar Creek (now Cedar Springs), and Little Run ARP Churches. The Reverend Doctor Clark ministered to these families, first in New York, and later in the Carolinas. In 1790 he helped organize the Presbytery of the Carolinas and Georgia. In 1837 the As- sociate Reformed Synod of the South established a seminary in South Carolina acknowl- edging Clark’s ministry by naming the school Clark and Erskine Seminary. The legacy of Thomas Clark, once known as the “Father” of the Associate Reformed Synod of the South, has diminished of late. Even the stone marker intended as a memorial gives an inaccurate account of Clark’s life. The first error on that stone states that Doctor Clark had a doctorate in divinity (D.D).
In the archives of the Royal Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, a handwritten entry in the Minutes notes Clark’s successful completion of an examination to practice medicine in Glasgow in 1752. During his years of caring for the souls and bodies of his parishio- ners, many ministerial opponents had questioned Clark’s formal degree and his title of “doctor,” including one of his Presbyterian contemporaries who called him a “quack.” Sadly, even Clark’s final resting place fails to acknowledge Clark’s medical education and the real reason people always called him “Dr. Clark.” The second error on that grave-
stone states that Clark was “born in Ireland.” In Kith and Kin, Mary Letitia Strong describes Clark’s two-volume 1667 Hebrew Bible as “finely bound in calf” with “gilt edges.” Each volume has, sup- posedly in Clark’s own handwrit- ing, the place and date of his birth: “Thomas Clark, of New Perth, in County Charlotte in New York Col- ony, owner of this book. Came from Toofeehee in parish of Tannidos in the Shire of Angus, in the Kingdom of Scotland, November 5th, 1720.” A Scottish birth registry does list a “Thomas Clerk” (a variant spelling of Clark) born in November of 1720 in the parish of Tannidice. Clark al- ways avoided telling his age, usu- ally replying, “I’m no’ as old as Jacob yet.” Quips like these were expressed in such a strong Scottish brogue that there was no mistaking his place of birth. The third odd error records that
Thomas Clark died in December 1792. However, the citation of the settlement of Clark’s estate read from the steps of Long Cane Church
Erskine Theological Seminary 22 The Associate Reformed Presbyterian
Thomas Clark: Forgotten Father of the Associate Reformed Synod of the South T
By Dr. John Paul Marr
hree errors appear on a tabletop gravestone situated in the historic and pictur- esque graveyard of Cedar Springs Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. En- graved by W. T. White, the stone provides the details of Thomas Clark, a Scottish
occurred on January 8, 1792. It named Clark’s son as the administrator of Clark’s effects, which were valued at one thou- sand pounds. Clark’s son held estate auc- tions on April 10, 1792 and June 13, 1792. The South Carolina City Gazette printed Clark’s obituary on April 26, 1792:
Died lately in the 70th year of his age at
Long Cane Settlement, much and deservedly lamented by all who knew him, the Rev. Dr. Thomas Clark. It may be said of this truly pi- ous and good man, that few ever possessed in a greater degree, so many of the relative and social virtues of life as he did; none of his pa- rishioners lived too remote; he late and early visited them all well in sickness and in health; he soothed their sorrows; and where pecuniary assistance was wanted it was cheerfully dealt out, and that too with an unsparing hand. It is no wonder then that his flock so sincerely la- ment the loss of so worthy and so good a man.
Over the course of that last year of his
life, Clark had written a lengthy letter to his former congregations. It was read by those in the Carolinas and New York, though Clark originally intended the let- ter for church members from his first pastorate still living in Ireland. Reprinted in Monaghan County, Ireland, in 1807, it was entitled, The Pastoral and Farewell Letter. Clark was in the midst of quoting Jesus’ words of servanthood in the thir- teenth chapter of John’s Gospel when he suddenly cried out and died. Clark’s final line was: “What I do thou knowest not now, but shalt know hereafter.” Perhaps those words of Scripture act as a more fit- ting legacy for the Father of the Associate Reformed Synod of the South than mere human words carved in stone.?
Dr. John Paul Marr serves as Associate Dean and Adjunct Professor of Theology and Ministry at Erskine Seminary. He is also Director of the Accelerated Ministry Program at Erskine College and Seminary. Additionally, Dr. Marr is minister of Troy ARP Church in Troy, SC.
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