author
James D. (James Davis) Knowles
1798–1838
A Baptist minister, editor, and early American biographer, he moved from the printing trade into the pulpit and classroom. He is best remembered for writing influential memoirs that helped preserve the stories of figures such as Ann Judson and Roger Williams.
1 Audiobook
Memoir of Roger Williams, the Founder of the State of Rhode-Island
by James D. (James Davis) Knowles
About the author
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1798, James D. Knowles first learned the printing business and worked in journalism before entering the Baptist ministry. Sources agree that he studied at Columbian College, later served as pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Boston, and became a professor at Newton Theological Institute.
Knowles wrote at a time when biography, religious history, and moral instruction often overlapped. His best-known books include Memoir of Mrs. Ann H. Judson, Late Missionary to Burmah and Memoir of Roger Williams, the Founder of the State of Rhode-Island, works that helped shape how many 19th-century readers encountered those lives.
He died in 1838, still relatively young, but left behind a body of work that connects American religious history, early journalism, and biography. For listeners today, his writing offers a window into the ideals, debates, and storytelling style of the early republic.