Andrew Clark, son of John Clark Jr. & Elizabeth Rogers
The Journal of Sanford Porter, Pg. 144, residing in Liberty, Trumbull Co, Ohio, approx. 1820
The next morning after breakfast I started to go and see if I could sell my land. I called at the first house I came to. The man was not in. He was deaf and dum, by the name of Andrew Clark. I told his wife what my errand was or that I had concluded to sell my land and move to Illinois and I thought I would give Andrew the first offer. She said she didn't want us to move but he would be in, in a few minutes and she would talk with him about it and see what he thought of it. He came in and they talked by signs and motions. A while she says to me, "he wants to know what your price is. " I told her three hundred and fifty dollars in good pay down for I wanted to move as soon as possible. She talked with him while he signed. "He will buy it if you will take a note he holds against Chauncy Knox for a hundred and fifty dollars in money that has been due two or three years." They talked together awhile. "He says he has other notes against a good man and if you will take that note against Hecox, he will make out the balance himself."
" You tell him I will take the note if he will back it over so that if I can't git it off Mr. Knox, he will pay me as soon as he can."
"Andrew wants to know if you have a good title to your land."
"You tell him I have and I will give him a good warented deed of it as soon as the writings can be made out."
"Andrew says he will take your land at your price, three hundred and fifty dollars."
"Tell him I shall depend upon his taking my land so as not to be ________."
"He says you may depend upon his taking your place or land. He will not disappoint you."
I was not three hours making and finishing the bargain and sold at the first offer. I went home and told my wife that I had sold out to Andrew Clark for just my own price. They did not ask me to take any less. She says, "sold at the very first offer! That is strange! You say you have sold for three hundred and fifty dollars. Morgan said you could not git one dollar from any man. I wonder what he will say now? What will he think of your visions?"
"I don't know what he will think of them but you and I know they all ways prove true, not one has ever failed but all have proved to be as true as the sun shines, thare is no mistake."
Mr. Mogan came to my house that afternoon and I told him I had sold out and was leaving to go tomorrow and see if I could get a house to move into and rent some around to ______.
"You have sold out very quick I think. I had no idea you could sell to any man living. How mutch are you to git for your land?"
"Three hundred and fifty dollars."
"Three hundred and fifty dollars, that is more than I got for my farm. Who under the sun did you find to sell too?"
"Andrew Clark. You said I might go over three counties and I would not find a man that would give me a dollar for it but I sold it at the first offer, at the first hous, at my own price and not more than three houses from home."
"Well well, I do not know what to make of it. Your visions prove true everytime."
I went the next day down to the Widow Weber and got liberty to move into a wash cabin she had and loaded up and moved down into an old house of hers. I rented some ground off the widow to plant to corn and potatoes and garding truck and put in my spring crop, then I went and made out the writings to Andrew Clark and got the note against Knox.