The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-01-17
CLEMENS.
Formerly OF Wheeling, now Of NJ.
Louisa Characteristic Com.
municnIiOn from lis Pen.

81. Louis Times Ul sunuAy'
roruE MEMORY or JAMES CLEMENS, JR'
The name Of Clemens is Roman and Of
historic interest. 1t comes from the Latin
adjective clemens, which means kind, am
liable, merciful, pleasant, good hearted
Clemens Romanus was, according to some
historians, the second, and according to
others, the third Pope Of Rome. He was
40 called 10 %diAtinguiSh him from Glen,
ems, Of Alexandria, in Egypt, designated
as Clemens Alexandrinis. Both were
early fathers OF the church, and the writ
ingI Of the latter have been translated in,
10 Enslish. The name was distinguished
very early in the history OF the church
Flayius Clemens was u cousin TO the
Emperor Domitian, and was put to death
as the first male martyr in Rome, and hi
niece, Domalilla Clemens, was the tirsl
female martyr. Julius Clemens was
Lieutenant under C@iar in his invasion
Of Great Britain.
But let these attested facts pass, and
let us 90 to othefs within the range o.
modern yeriication. Gregory Clemens
was q laud.holder in Huntingdoashire
in England; a contemporary Of Cromwell
and as a member Of The English Parlia-
ment, signed the death warrant o.
Charles /. During the %protectorate o.
Cromwell he was appointed English Min
lister TO Spain and, during his term o
service, was married to a Spanish lady il
the city Of Cordova. After the death o.
Cromwell, and on the accession OF Charles
IL, Gregory Clemens was tried as a regi
eide; his estates were contscated to tht
Crown, and he suffered the barbarous and
SYNONYMOUS death which English law'
then provided for all such cases; and hi
head was exposed on n pole on the top o.
Westminster Hall. His widow with her
children emigrated with his two brothers
TO Augusta county, Virginia, and they
purchased a farm near the town Of Staun'
ion, Stanton was subsequently the
place OF holding the Federal Court ioi
The Western District Of Virginia, The
State claiming jurisdiction to the Yough
egheney river in the present State o.
Pennsylvania, including Fort Pitt, nov
Pittsburgh. It was the Virginia troop
under Washington, and the British regu.
lars under BraddOCk, which met with
such disasters in defense Of this jurisdic
ton. James Clemens, the elder, thu
grandfather Of James Clemens, it,, was
The descendant Of the regiCide, Gregory
Clemens, and on the 18Th day Of June
1885, had a survey made Of land, OIL the
waters Of Buffalo Creek, on a Virginia
certificate Of 800 acres and six perches
On the Cd day Of Juue, 1885, letters patent
from the Commonwealth OF Virginia is
rned for this tract, and it is in possession
Of the widow OF one Of his descendants &c
this day. In running Mason and Dixon's
line and fixing the boundary between
Virginia and Pennsylvania this tract was
divided, n part being in Donegal town
chip, Wellington county, Pennsylvania
and the balance in Virginia.
james Clemens, the elder. died in De-
cember 1869. His will as %probated was
dated September 81, 1895. His sonS
were Jeremiah, William, Abraham, John.
James and Ezekiel. Jeremiah moved 10
Danville, KY, and was the father Of the
subject OF this sketch. James moved 70
H~untsville, Alabama, and was tue father
OF Jeremiah Clemens, Senator from Ala
bama, and the author Of several literary
works Of no mean ability. Ezekiel re-
moved to Tennessee, and was the progG-
nitor Of Samuel l.. Clemens. better known
under the nom de plume Of Mark Twain. :
james Clemens, jr., OF St. Louis, No.,
was born in DanvlIle, Ky, on the 10th
Of October, 1901, and 10 distinguish him
self from the elder OF the same name IN
Alabama, he attached junior TO his name.
He enjoyed only the advantages Of n Com.
mon school education,such az could be had
at that early period in Kentucky; which
consisted OF only four counties. AT a
very early period, lie became u clerk in
MIR. Belle store in Danville, and lie there
received his mercantile education,
Throughout his early life he was a Grea!
reader; he may he said TO have instruct.
ed bimseli; and the large aud we'll select
cd library nj his residence in this city
bears evidence, not only OF his taste, but
his culture. In October 1911, being
then about 81 years Of age, lie removed
from Danyille 10 Sparta, in Tennessee.
He remained at Sparta until April,
1876. He was engaged in the mercantile
business in connection with James Glenn
ems, the elder, Of Huntsville, Ala, and
during the war OF 1912 the firm accumu.
lated vast amounts OF money in making
salLpetre and furnishing 1t 10 the Gov.
eminent for the manufacture OF Gunpow.
der. With the capital thus acquired the
younger came TO st, Genevieve, in Mis-
souri, and established himselfin business,
that spot being then the most CONNER
cial place in the Stale. He came to St,
Louis, April, 1917, and opened n store on
the corner Of Main and Market streets,
lie dealt in dry goods, groceries, furs and
peltries, and by his careful, prudent man
agement steadily added to his capital,
To keep up his stock, he was compelled
10 make the journey on horseback
through tho wilderness OF Illinois, In
diana and Ohio. His "reminiscences OF
these trips, and OF the manners and Gus
toms Of the early pioneers of St. Louis
and Of tho West, were tull Of strange IN
terest; but this is not the time to recount
them.
In January, 1888, having then an am
pie fortune, he married Miss Eliza Null
fanphy. She was tho mother Of. seven
children, Of whom Elk are living, one boy,
Richard, in whom they placed great hope,
dying In his youth. The survivors are
james D. Clemens, Bryan N. Clemens,
William ]. Clemens, Mrs. G. j. Gates,
Mrs. Ellen /. Clemens and Mrs. Alice u,
Won Verscn, the latter OF whom resides
in Europe, the balance here. Mrs. Eliza
NJ. Clemens died at her country residence
August 20, 1853, and her husband became
tenant by the courtesy OF the vast landed
property which she had inherited from
her father, John Mullanphy, The writer
OF this we'll recollects her appearance in
the year 1916, when he was a delegate TO
the Pacific Railroad Convention, which
was held in the rotunda Of tho Court.
house. She was OF compact build, with a
large and well.developed head, especially
distinct in tia perccptive faculties, with
dirk complexion aud features, expressive
OF high intelligence aud culture, and she
was the haudsomcst Of John Mullanphy's
daughters.
Her ..Guner were especially gracious
and winning. She was domestic In her
taStes and a model wife and mother. II
the husband waa the "bread winner" she
was the "bread sayern Of the family, for
while they resided on the large farm, on
the Olive street road, she boarded out Of
~ ---lN.hN a.nlt,aNa ~ Nkn .IA1.