author
John A. (John Alonzo) Clark
1801–1843
An Episcopal minister and 19th-century religious writer, he is best known for devotional works and travel writing that brought a pastor’s eye to everyday life. His books range from memoirs and moral tales to vivid observations gathered on the road.
1 Audiobook
Gleanings by the Way
by John A. (John Alonzo) Clark
About the author
Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on May 6, 1801, he became a minister in the Protestant Episcopal Church after graduating from Union College and studying at the General Theological Seminary in New York. Sources agree that he served in several clerical posts and died in Philadelphia in 1843.
He wrote widely for a religious readership, and his published works include Gleanings by the Way, The Pastor's Testimony, and Letters on the Church. His writing blends pastoral instruction with narrative energy, which helps explain why his books continued to circulate in library and archive collections long after his death.
Although not a household name today, he belonged to a generation of American clergy-authors who used print to shape popular religious reading. His work offers a useful window into Protestant thought, travel, and moral storytelling in the early 19th century.