Sarah Beattie/Batey/Beatty Clinger v James Clinger (Journal 9 p143 - 18 June 1877; Roll 28 case number 78 - 1877)
By Pamela Pattison Lash (updated 25 September 2021)
The couple was married on 3 Feb 1864, Wms Co (Marriage V3 p350; Sarah told the court the date was 25 Feb 1861. Sarah, born 18 Feb/Mar 1845, Lancaster Co, PA, was the daughter of Samuel and Hannah Diffenderfer Beattie/Batey/Beatty. James Board Clinger, b 26 May 1838, Westmoreland Co, PA, was the son of George and Jane Mooreland Clinger of West Unity, OH. James was a Civil War soldier, serving in Co C 38th OVI. According to the 1860 West Unity, Brady Twp federal census, p142b, the Clinger family was enumerated as George 58 PA insane, Jane 54 PA, James 22 PA, George 19 OH, Philip 17 OH, and Mary 14 OH. Sometime in June/July 1866 James and Sarah became the parents of daughter Ada M, who later died on 25 Jan 1867 @7M 22D and was buried in the West Jefferson Cem. By the 1870 Bryan federal census, p17, the Clinger family was enumerated as James 31 OH, Sarah 24 PA, Charles 2 OH, Martin 2/12 OH.
Sarah told the court that they had four children: Charles Washington (8), William Harmon (5), James V (3), and Samuel Marion (1). James had taken the three elder children away from her. He told her he would kill her and several times he dragged her by her heels out of bed and was extremely cruel. The case was dismissed.
James applied for a Civil War Pension on 30 June 1880 as an invalid. James and Sarah had four more children, George, b 4 Apr/May 1885, Bryan (Birth V2 p69), Nora Coblentz, and Burton. A daughter Maudy B. died on 10 Oct 1881 @3Y 1D and was buried beside sister Ada in West Jefferson Cem. An interesting story was found in the obituary of son Samuel Marion Clinger ("The Bryan Democrat", 5 Mar 1942), which told that Samuel, Will, and Burton Clinger were part of a brother acrobatic act. They traveled with the Clinger Acrobatic Troupe and M K Houlton Brothers Circus. Houlton, based in DeKalb Co, IN, had a circus hay day in the early 1890’s with the four Clinger Brothers participating in 1891-1893. They did trapeze work, horizontal bars, rings, ladders, and other acrobatic tricks.
James Clinger died on 8 Feb 1899 in Bryan and was buried in the Bryan Fountain Grove Cemetery with a CW marker. Sarah applied for a Civil War Widow benefit on 27 March 1899. From the 1900 Bryan, Ward 1, Pulaski Twp federal census p154, the widow was enumerated as Sarah Clinger, born Mar 1835 (55) PA, with eight children, six living, and sons, Samuel, born July 1877 (23) OH a widower, and George born May 1884 (16) OH, with sons William and Charles plus their families living nearby. Sarah died on 14 Dec 1906 in the Toledo State Hospital, Lucas Co, OH. She had been confined there on 16 Nov 1903 (Wms Co, OH Probate #4506). She was buried beside her husband in Fountain Grove Cem, but no tombstone exists to mark the location.
6 comments:
This is my family would like to know more of any available
Just came across this article and the comment about being in the circus syncs up to family stories passed down by my mother. Guy Burton Clinger is my grandfather, but I haven't been able to determine which of the brothers is his father. Can you help?
My Aunt has a play bill that advertised the Flying Clinger Brothers performing with Barnum and Bailey's Circus.
Hi Sis
His parents were Jammes Burton Clinger and Loise Rose Engle.
Guy Clinger was my uncle and he lived on Brick Rd in South Bend, Indiana all through the 40’s and 50’s. He had 4 children and one is still alive in her 80’s. Guy was the son of James Burton Clinger who was a member of the acrobatic headliner of the Ringling Bro Circus in the late 1800’s. NanMann Galbreath 6/20/20 574 250-2178
My mother was Dorothy Clinger, father James Burton Clinger (acrobatic troup). Live in South Bend, Indiana, am 82 now, stayed with Nora and Ben on vacation in Montiplier, Ohio. Any questions, my email is mannnan@aol.com.
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