For the past week I have been researching the Clark/Beale families locations in Baltimore from 1796-1803. I have found some interesting information.

1. The Baltimore City Directories have been a useful item in my search. In the 1796 City Directory Joseph Clark, architect is listed as living at 21 S. High St, Old Town (same address in his obituary in 98). Another name is also mentioned which grabbed my attention, a John Clark, bricklayer living at 18 S. High St. Now in one of the newspaper articles I clipped out from the MD gazette, a Joseph and John Clark reenter the port of Balitmore from London in 1797 (the same time the Joseph Clark Annapolis builder is said to have returned from England while recooperating his health according to the petition of Mary Magee.

Things become more interesting. In the 1799 Baltimore City Directory, Isabella Clark, widow is listed as licing at Petticoat Alley. In the 1798 tax assessment a Mrs. Clark is listed in the Fell's Point section. Another column in her assessment sights the name Captain Beal. In the 1798 Tax Assessment for Baltimore City General I found THOMAS K. BEALL. His dwelling is listed as PRECINCTS. This document is important because it lists his assessment, properties, AND sq feet of his house which is considerably larger than others on the list (ie 13,200 sq ft). Capt Beall is also listed at Petticoat Lane on a property with the same square footage as mentioned in the one with Mrs. Clark (1800sq feet).

I went to look up where Precincts was in the City Directories St. Listings. I remembered that the 1801 Directory had one available. Precincts was not listed. I did however fins some interesting info when I looked up John Clark again...his address stateed " John Clark, bricklayer Precincts beyond Bridge St. Old Town".

Thomas K. Beale/Beal/Beall is never listed in the 1800 Census and only one john Clark is listed in Baltimore City. That prson is between 26-45. Isabella Clark is no longr listed in the Directories after 1799.

A stephen Clark appears in the directories in 1810 as a lottery and book seller. I have paper sheets with all that information n the project file under Joseph Clark's geneaology. ECp/51/00011/

I also found Isabella Ferguson's father probate records with a copy of his will , inventory, and accounts so that I could see how wealthy a family she was from and who her father's associates were. It also includes a letter from her mother relinquishing her powers as executrix because she is not familar with business practice. In addition I also copied her mother's probate records which was inventoried in May 1799 (Just 13 months after Joseph Clark's death and 4 months prior to Isabella's marriage to THomas K. Beale.