author
Charles Frederic Goss
1852–1930
Best known for a turn-of-the-century bestseller, this Presbyterian minister brought a preacher’s voice and a storyteller’s flair to both fiction and local history. His work ranges from uplifting novels to a major multi-volume history of Cincinnati.
1 Audiobook
The Redemption of David Corson
by Charles Frederic Goss
About the author
Born in Meridian, New York, in 1852, Charles Frederic Goss was an American clergyman and author. He studied at Hamilton College and Auburn Theological Seminary, then served in the Presbyterian ministry, including many years as pastor of Avondale Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati.
Goss wrote both religious and popular books, but he is especially remembered for The Redemption of David Corson, a bestselling novel published in 1900. His writing often blended moral reflection with accessible storytelling, which helped him reach readers beyond the pulpit.
He also played an important role in recording regional history, editing and contributing to a large history of Cincinnati. That mix of pastor, novelist, and local historian gives his work a broad appeal: intimate in tone, practical in outlook, and closely tied to the civic and spiritual life of his time.