Clark Lane was also known as Richard Clark Lane. Clark Lane was born on 5. Apr. 1823 at Mount Healthy, Hamilton County, Ohio. He was the son of
John Lane and
Rosanah Crum. Clark Lane married
Sallie Coriell on 25. Dec. 1845 at Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio. Clark Lane married
Mrs. Augusta Swift-Wood on 2. Jan. 1894 at Elkhart, Elkhart County, Indiana. Clark Lane died on 4. Sep. 1907 at Elkhart Twp., Elkhart County, Indiana, at age 84. Aaron Lane bible names him as Richard Clark Lane, but he was always known as Clark Lane. (Note that the Lane library web site says he was called "Robert" Clark in the bible, but the web site that has transcription of bible says Richard.
Moved to Hamilton (then called Rossville) in 1844. Clark had become an abolitionist at age 16 and was pretty much run out of Rossville (Hamilton) for these views, so he moved to Dayton because of his views. In 1846 he moved back.
Wrote a "Reminiscential" about his life. He passed much of the family records on to Warren Wilson Lane, about 1905, and it was passed on to his grandson, Warren Wilson Lane, and then to me, Christopher W. Lane.
From the "The German Village News", May 1976, "He was a model American 'rags to riches' story - for he was born on a farm to a poor hardworking John and Rosannah Lane, took up 'smithing' at the age of 16, and rose quickly through hard work to become one of Hamilton's leading industrialists, an avid traveler, and a generous philanthropist." He built the 'Red Cross' building and the "Lane Public Library' in Hamilton; both octagonal houses. The former was built in 1863 as his home. The latter he built as a community library begining in 1866.
Clark made his smithing business grow into a foundary company called "Owens, Lane & Dyer," which was very successful making especially agricultural machines.
In 1863, Clark built a home in an octagonal style, which was sometimes called "Lane's Folly."
Later he built and donated another building that became the Lane Public Library. William E. Smith's account that appeared in his History of Southwestern Ohio follows: "In 1866 Clark Lane, wealthy manufacturer, after vainly offering $10,000 to the city to build a library, built one himself and placed a member of his family [his niece Miss Emma Lane] in charge of the reading room. Convinced that a library was essential to saving the young from ignorance and deterioration of morals, he supported his library for a year before offering it to the city. At a special election Lane's offer was accepted 446 to 276."
He later moved to Elkhart, Indiana, but because of the financial failure of his old business, he moved back to Ohio, living in the old Lane homestead. After his wife died, he moved back to Elkhart.