Jesse Allen Clodfelter was the oldest of six (or seven?) known children of John George Gladfelter Jr. (1780-1845) and Maria Magdalena Walk Gladfelter (1783-1822), who married 20 Oct 1803 at Stokes (now Forsyth) County, North Carolina. After Maria died, John remarried to Maria's eldest sister, Johanna Walk Mock (1772-1853), but they had no children. The Gladfelter/ Clodfelter family moved from the vicinity of the Moravian community of Friedberg, then on the border of Stokes and Davidson Counties (now Forsyth and Davidson), North Carolina to the Moravian community of West Salem, Edwards County, Illinois in 1837.

Jesse was a cabinet maker and he married three times. First he married to Magdalena Hege (1808-1829) on 02 Dec 1828 in Stokes (now Forsyth) County, North Carolina. They had no children, though Magdalena may have died in childbirth.

Secondly Jesse married to Haria (went by Mary) Hartman (1806-1845) on 13 Jul 1830 at Stokes (now Forsyth) County, North Carolina. Jesse and Mary were the parents of seven known children, namely:

1. Elmina Clodfelter Michel (1831-1854)

2. John Alexander Clodfelter (1833-1882)

3. Andrew Peter Clodfelter (1835-1907)

4. Jacob Franklin Clodfelter (1837-1878)

5. Christian Emanuel Gladfelter (1841-1841)

6. Philip Wesley Clodfelter (1842-1909)

7. Allen Jesse Gladfelter (1845-1845)

Six and one-half months after Mary died Jesse married for a third time to Anna Rosina Fishel (1817-1881) on 04 Nov 1845 at Davidson County, North Carolina. Jesse and Anna had an additional ten children; namely:

8. William Sanford Clodfelter (1846-1922)

9. Henry Samuel Clodfelter (1848-1924)

10. Mary Catherine Clodfelter Gaede (1850-1894)

11. Lewis Edwin Clodfelter (1851-1938)

12. Jonas Augustus Clodfelter (1853-1935)

13. Anna Maria Clodfelter (1854-1855)

14. Louisa Rebecca Clodfelter Gaede (1856-1939)

15. Emma Regina Clodfelter (1860-1884)

16. Baby Boy Clodfelter (1860-1862)

17. Laura Lisette Clodfelter (1864-1878)

In c1848 Jesse, his third wife, the five living children from his marriage to Mary and his first two children born to Anna, moved to the Moravian community of West Salem, Edwards County, Illinois. Jesse died of "white swelling" at Edwards County, Illinois.

Links to Jesse's parents, all three of his known wives, all seventeen of his known children and all of his five known siblings are included below.