REV. CLARK GOES TO HIS REWARD
Christian Minister, Old Soldier and Fine Citizen
Spent 45 Years in Three Pastorates
The community was shocked Wednesday afternoon to learn of the sudden death of Rev. T. J. Clark at his home on North Washington Street. He had been ill for about two weeks but was feeling much better, and his recovery in a few days was fully expected. The end came as a result of heart failure to which he was subject at times. During the day he had been resting easily and sleeping most of the time, but at 3:40 without any previous sign of sinking, he quietly went to sleep never to awake again in this life. John Foster, a neighbor and old friend, had just come into the home besides Mrs. Clark. Funeral probably Saturday awaiting the arrival of all the children.
Rev. Clark is survived by his wife and five children-Mrs. Carrie Gerhart, Sumner, Ill.; Mrs. Grace Fisher, Chicago; Mrs. Ruth Neff, Indianapolis; Thomas Curtis Clark, Chicago; and Dr. Charles Clark, Summitt, N. J. The sisters who survive are Mrs. R. A. Von Fossen of Pittsburg and Mrs. W. P. Rogers of Cincinnati.
Few families have been as intimately related to the development of Bloomington as that of Rev. T. J. Clark. Born at Bruceville, Knox County, April 19, 1846, next April he would have been 72. His parents moved to Bloomington in June 1846. As a boy he attended the schools of Bloomington and the academy of the University. In 1859, alongside W. N. Showers, he began to learn the cabinet trade under the late C. C. showers in the old shop that stood about where Combs Store is now on the east side. December 9th, 1863, he enlisted in Co. I, 10th Cavalry, and remained in the service until mustered out at Vicksburg, August 31st, 1865. He returned to Bloomington and re-entered school, graduating from the University July 2, 1872. On July 3rd, 1873, he was married to Emma Jennings on her graduation day from the University. It is an interesting fact that their three daughters-Grace, Carrie and Ruth-were all married on their graduation days. All five of Rev. and Mrs. Clark's children are graduates of the University as well as their two sons-in-law. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and his parents were Mr. and Mrs. William A. Clark, pioneer citizens of blessed memory.
From September fist, 1872, to September 1st, 1894, Rev. Clark was pastor of the First Christian Church of Vincennes; from September 1st 1894 to September 1st, 1908, he was pastor of the Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church of Bloomington and until September 1918, he was pastor at Albion, Ill. Thus he spent 45 years in three pastorates. During this time he preached 3,173 sermons, 967 funerals, performed 615 weddings and received 2,798 people into the church. It is inspiring to contemplate the great good of such a life.
During all these years his wife has been an unusual help and support to him; a woman of great ability in church and community life and was always most active in all good work.
It is interesting to state in this connection that the son, Thomas Curtis Clark, has become a journalist and writer of permanent fame. He has issued a book of poems and his contributions of lyric poetry to various magazines are attracting wide attention in American and Europe. Dr. Charles Clark is on the medical staff of the Mutual Benefit Insurance Company and has already attained a very high rank as a physician. He and Dr. F. H. Batman of this city were medical students together in Chicago.
The funeral of Rev. Clark will be held Saturday at 1:30 from the First...
[The Telephone, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, January 24 or 26, 1918]
=====
Burial Records state: CLARK, REV. THOS J / Date of Death - 1/23/1918 / Last Residence - (Blank) / Place of Birth - (Blank) / Age - 71 / Gender - M / Cemetery - Rose Hill / Section and Lot - Spencer Addition, 188
=====
DICIPLES OF CHRIST IN INDIANA: ACHIEVEMENTS OF A CENTURY, Commodore Wesley Cauble. Indianapolis, IN: Meigs Publishing Co., 1930, p. 207.
Thomas J. Clark, 1846-1918, served long pastorates during his life and they were successful. He was the minister at Vincennes for 21 years, at Bloomington for eighteen years, and at Albion, Ill., he served for seven years.
=====
INDIANA UNIVERSITY, ITS HISTORY, 1828-1890,
Theophilus A. Wylie, 1890, pp. 252
1872
Thomas Jefferson Clark, born April 19, 1849, in Bruceville, Knox Co. Residence, Vincennes, Indiana. Educated at Bloomington common schools.
Degrees, A. B. and A. M. Occupation and position, Principal of Vincennes high School, 1873. Minister of Christian Church, Vincennes, for the last seventeen years. Mr. Clark has been a diligent and successful minister; has had 732 accessions to his church; has preached 2,250 sermons, attended 235 funerals, and united in marriage 224 couples. Mr. Clark married Miss Emma Jennings, of class 1873.
====
Misc Newspaper Clippings:
a.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, April 20, 1894, p. 2.
NOTE: This item was abbreviated as noted by the ellipsis.
REV. CLARK FOR THE PASTOR OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Selected by a Unanimouos Vote--Short Sketch of His Life
Rev. Thomas J. Clark has been elected pastor of the Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church.
A meeting of the official board of the church was held last night, called for the purpose of selecting a pastor, and the name of Mr. Clark was the only one taken into consideration, and it was decided by a unanimous vote to ask him to accept the position... Mr. Clark, having been born and raised in Bloomington, almost all the members of the board knew him personally, and all expressed themselves as quite anxious for him accept the place... There are reasons to believe that Mr. Clark will accept, though he could not be expected to do so at any sacrifice, as his relations at Vincennes have always been most pleasant, and he is well fixed in all respects. The salary at Vincennes, including all sources, is about $1,500 a year with a parsonage. This is a second time that Rev. Clark has received a call from this congregation, but as he has children that will soon be old enough to enter the University, it is thought that this will be an additional inducement for him to accept at this time.
Rev. Clark is a son of Mr. and Mrs. William A. Clark, East 7th Street, and was born and raised in Bloomington. He is a graduate of Indiana University in the class of 1872, and soon after his graduation entered the ministry. He was first called to Vincennes, this state, where he has been located for the past 22 years as the pastor of one church, it being his first and only congregation. Mr. Clark is one of the strong men of Indiana, and is regarded as the peer of the preachers of his own denomination. The fact that when he went to Vincennes he took hold of a small, struggling church and that now it is one of the leading congregations of the Christian denomination is evidence of his ability...
b.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Weekly Courier, December 21, 1897, p. 1
Thomas Clark, Jr. son of Rev. T. J. Clark who has been teaching school at Vincennes, is expected home this week.
c.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, May 9, 1905, p. 4.
Judge and Mrs. T. S. Gerhart, the guests of Mrs. Gerhart's parents, Rev. and Mrs. T. J. Clark, returned to Kokomo today.
d.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Evening World, September 17, 1907, p. 1.
Rev. and Mrs. T. J. Clark are in Chicago to attend the wedding tomorrow of their son, Dr. Charles Clark to Miss Bessie Burnett, of Oconta, Wisconsin. The couple will be married in their flat and go to housekeeping at once. Dr. Clark met his bride elect while she was a nurse in St. Luke's Hospital. She is a graduate nurse. Dr. Clark is a graduate of Indiana University, class of 1901, a graduate of Rush Medical College, class of 1904, and a graduate Interne of St. Luke's Hospital, class of 1906. The couple will make their home in Chicago.
-----
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Evening World, September 19, 1907, p. 4.
Rev. and Mrs. T. J. Clark are home from Chicago where they attended the wedding of their son, Dr. Charles Clark.
e.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, January 7, 1908, p. 1.
Rev. T. J. Clark to Resign
Action Caused by Petition. Announcement Made Sunday
Rev. T. J. Clark, at the Sunday morning services of the Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church, notified the congregation that it was his intention to resign, and he asked that a meeting of the official board be held Wednesday evening to consider the question.
The decision of Rev. Clark is brought about at this time because of a petition circulated within the last week signed by some of the church members, including 10 officers of the church, asking that he offer his resignation as pastor. Rev. Clark spoke with much feeling of the method the petitioners had used, in that they did not come to him face to face. He said that while he was not without fault, yet there were members of the church, and even officials, who had not given the church work proper encouragement. There were names to the petition in whose families he had administered in hours of distress, and there were those whom he had assistd in walks of life. He realized his age, but his life had been spent in the ministry--22 years in Vincennes and 13 years here--and he dapriciated (sic) the theory that a preacher was not desirable if past middle life.
The talk was personal and full of feeling--so much so that a majority of the audience was in tears and, after the services, scores crowded about the altar and extended their hearty sympathy.
Christian Minister, Old Soldier and Fine Citizen
Spent 45 Years in Three Pastorates
The community was shocked Wednesday afternoon to learn of the sudden death of Rev. T. J. Clark at his home on North Washington Street. He had been ill for about two weeks but was feeling much better, and his recovery in a few days was fully expected. The end came as a result of heart failure to which he was subject at times. During the day he had been resting easily and sleeping most of the time, but at 3:40 without any previous sign of sinking, he quietly went to sleep never to awake again in this life. John Foster, a neighbor and old friend, had just come into the home besides Mrs. Clark. Funeral probably Saturday awaiting the arrival of all the children.
Rev. Clark is survived by his wife and five children-Mrs. Carrie Gerhart, Sumner, Ill.; Mrs. Grace Fisher, Chicago; Mrs. Ruth Neff, Indianapolis; Thomas Curtis Clark, Chicago; and Dr. Charles Clark, Summitt, N. J. The sisters who survive are Mrs. R. A. Von Fossen of Pittsburg and Mrs. W. P. Rogers of Cincinnati.
Few families have been as intimately related to the development of Bloomington as that of Rev. T. J. Clark. Born at Bruceville, Knox County, April 19, 1846, next April he would have been 72. His parents moved to Bloomington in June 1846. As a boy he attended the schools of Bloomington and the academy of the University. In 1859, alongside W. N. Showers, he began to learn the cabinet trade under the late C. C. showers in the old shop that stood about where Combs Store is now on the east side. December 9th, 1863, he enlisted in Co. I, 10th Cavalry, and remained in the service until mustered out at Vicksburg, August 31st, 1865. He returned to Bloomington and re-entered school, graduating from the University July 2, 1872. On July 3rd, 1873, he was married to Emma Jennings on her graduation day from the University. It is an interesting fact that their three daughters-Grace, Carrie and Ruth-were all married on their graduation days. All five of Rev. and Mrs. Clark's children are graduates of the University as well as their two sons-in-law. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and his parents were Mr. and Mrs. William A. Clark, pioneer citizens of blessed memory.
From September fist, 1872, to September 1st, 1894, Rev. Clark was pastor of the First Christian Church of Vincennes; from September 1st 1894 to September 1st, 1908, he was pastor of the Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church of Bloomington and until September 1918, he was pastor at Albion, Ill. Thus he spent 45 years in three pastorates. During this time he preached 3,173 sermons, 967 funerals, performed 615 weddings and received 2,798 people into the church. It is inspiring to contemplate the great good of such a life.
During all these years his wife has been an unusual help and support to him; a woman of great ability in church and community life and was always most active in all good work.
It is interesting to state in this connection that the son, Thomas Curtis Clark, has become a journalist and writer of permanent fame. He has issued a book of poems and his contributions of lyric poetry to various magazines are attracting wide attention in American and Europe. Dr. Charles Clark is on the medical staff of the Mutual Benefit Insurance Company and has already attained a very high rank as a physician. He and Dr. F. H. Batman of this city were medical students together in Chicago.
The funeral of Rev. Clark will be held Saturday at 1:30 from the First...
[The Telephone, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, January 24 or 26, 1918]
=====
Burial Records state: CLARK, REV. THOS J / Date of Death - 1/23/1918 / Last Residence - (Blank) / Place of Birth - (Blank) / Age - 71 / Gender - M / Cemetery - Rose Hill / Section and Lot - Spencer Addition, 188
=====
DICIPLES OF CHRIST IN INDIANA: ACHIEVEMENTS OF A CENTURY, Commodore Wesley Cauble. Indianapolis, IN: Meigs Publishing Co., 1930, p. 207.
Thomas J. Clark, 1846-1918, served long pastorates during his life and they were successful. He was the minister at Vincennes for 21 years, at Bloomington for eighteen years, and at Albion, Ill., he served for seven years.
=====
INDIANA UNIVERSITY, ITS HISTORY, 1828-1890,
Theophilus A. Wylie, 1890, pp. 252
1872
Thomas Jefferson Clark, born April 19, 1849, in Bruceville, Knox Co. Residence, Vincennes, Indiana. Educated at Bloomington common schools.
Degrees, A. B. and A. M. Occupation and position, Principal of Vincennes high School, 1873. Minister of Christian Church, Vincennes, for the last seventeen years. Mr. Clark has been a diligent and successful minister; has had 732 accessions to his church; has preached 2,250 sermons, attended 235 funerals, and united in marriage 224 couples. Mr. Clark married Miss Emma Jennings, of class 1873.
====
Misc Newspaper Clippings:
a.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, April 20, 1894, p. 2.
NOTE: This item was abbreviated as noted by the ellipsis.
REV. CLARK FOR THE PASTOR OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Selected by a Unanimouos Vote--Short Sketch of His Life
Rev. Thomas J. Clark has been elected pastor of the Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church.
A meeting of the official board of the church was held last night, called for the purpose of selecting a pastor, and the name of Mr. Clark was the only one taken into consideration, and it was decided by a unanimous vote to ask him to accept the position... Mr. Clark, having been born and raised in Bloomington, almost all the members of the board knew him personally, and all expressed themselves as quite anxious for him accept the place... There are reasons to believe that Mr. Clark will accept, though he could not be expected to do so at any sacrifice, as his relations at Vincennes have always been most pleasant, and he is well fixed in all respects. The salary at Vincennes, including all sources, is about $1,500 a year with a parsonage. This is a second time that Rev. Clark has received a call from this congregation, but as he has children that will soon be old enough to enter the University, it is thought that this will be an additional inducement for him to accept at this time.
Rev. Clark is a son of Mr. and Mrs. William A. Clark, East 7th Street, and was born and raised in Bloomington. He is a graduate of Indiana University in the class of 1872, and soon after his graduation entered the ministry. He was first called to Vincennes, this state, where he has been located for the past 22 years as the pastor of one church, it being his first and only congregation. Mr. Clark is one of the strong men of Indiana, and is regarded as the peer of the preachers of his own denomination. The fact that when he went to Vincennes he took hold of a small, struggling church and that now it is one of the leading congregations of the Christian denomination is evidence of his ability...
b.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Weekly Courier, December 21, 1897, p. 1
Thomas Clark, Jr. son of Rev. T. J. Clark who has been teaching school at Vincennes, is expected home this week.
c.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, May 9, 1905, p. 4.
Judge and Mrs. T. S. Gerhart, the guests of Mrs. Gerhart's parents, Rev. and Mrs. T. J. Clark, returned to Kokomo today.
d.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Evening World, September 17, 1907, p. 1.
Rev. and Mrs. T. J. Clark are in Chicago to attend the wedding tomorrow of their son, Dr. Charles Clark to Miss Bessie Burnett, of Oconta, Wisconsin. The couple will be married in their flat and go to housekeeping at once. Dr. Clark met his bride elect while she was a nurse in St. Luke's Hospital. She is a graduate nurse. Dr. Clark is a graduate of Indiana University, class of 1901, a graduate of Rush Medical College, class of 1904, and a graduate Interne of St. Luke's Hospital, class of 1906. The couple will make their home in Chicago.
-----
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Evening World, September 19, 1907, p. 4.
Rev. and Mrs. T. J. Clark are home from Chicago where they attended the wedding of their son, Dr. Charles Clark.
e.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, January 7, 1908, p. 1.
Rev. T. J. Clark to Resign
Action Caused by Petition. Announcement Made Sunday
Rev. T. J. Clark, at the Sunday morning services of the Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church, notified the congregation that it was his intention to resign, and he asked that a meeting of the official board be held Wednesday evening to consider the question.
The decision of Rev. Clark is brought about at this time because of a petition circulated within the last week signed by some of the church members, including 10 officers of the church, asking that he offer his resignation as pastor. Rev. Clark spoke with much feeling of the method the petitioners had used, in that they did not come to him face to face. He said that while he was not without fault, yet there were members of the church, and even officials, who had not given the church work proper encouragement. There were names to the petition in whose families he had administered in hours of distress, and there were those whom he had assistd in walks of life. He realized his age, but his life had been spent in the ministry--22 years in Vincennes and 13 years here--and he dapriciated (sic) the theory that a preacher was not desirable if past middle life.
The talk was personal and full of feeling--so much so that a majority of the audience was in tears and, after the services, scores crowded about the altar and extended their hearty sympathy.
REV. CLARK GOES TO HIS REWARD
Christian Minister, Old Soldier and Fine Citizen
Spent 45 Years in Three Pastorates
The community was shocked Wednesday afternoon to learn of the sudden death of Rev. T. J. Clark at his home on North Washington Street. He had been ill for about two weeks but was feeling much better, and his recovery in a few days was fully expected. The end came as a result of heart failure to which he was subject at times. During the day he had been resting easily and sleeping most of the time, but at 3:40 without any previous sign of sinking, he quietly went to sleep never to awake again in this life. John Foster, a neighbor and old friend, had just come into the home besides Mrs. Clark. Funeral probably Saturday awaiting the arrival of all the children.
Rev. Clark is survived by his wife and five children-Mrs. Carrie Gerhart, Sumner, Ill.; Mrs. Grace Fisher, Chicago; Mrs. Ruth Neff, Indianapolis; Thomas Curtis Clark, Chicago; and Dr. Charles Clark, Summitt, N. J. The sisters who survive are Mrs. R. A. Von Fossen of Pittsburg and Mrs. W. P. Rogers of Cincinnati.
Few families have been as intimately related to the development of Bloomington as that of Rev. T. J. Clark. Born at Bruceville, Knox County, April 19, 1846, next April he would have been 72. His parents moved to Bloomington in June 1846. As a boy he attended the schools of Bloomington and the academy of the University. In 1859, alongside W. N. Showers, he began to learn the cabinet trade under the late C. C. showers in the old shop that stood about where Combs Store is now on the east side. December 9th, 1863, he enlisted in Co. I, 10th Cavalry, and remained in the service until mustered out at Vicksburg, August 31st, 1865. He returned to Bloomington and re-entered school, graduating from the University July 2, 1872. On July 3rd, 1873, he was married to Emma Jennings on her graduation day from the University. It is an interesting fact that their three daughters-Grace, Carrie and Ruth-were all married on their graduation days. All five of Rev. and Mrs. Clark's children are graduates of the University as well as their two sons-in-law. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and his parents were Mr. and Mrs. William A. Clark, pioneer citizens of blessed memory.
From September fist, 1872, to September 1st, 1894, Rev. Clark was pastor of the First Christian Church of Vincennes; from September 1st 1894 to September 1st, 1908, he was pastor of the Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church of Bloomington and until September 1918, he was pastor at Albion, Ill. Thus he spent 45 years in three pastorates. During this time he preached 3,173 sermons, 967 funerals, performed 615 weddings and received 2,798 people into the church. It is inspiring to contemplate the great good of such a life.
During all these years his wife has been an unusual help and support to him; a woman of great ability in church and community life and was always most active in all good work.
It is interesting to state in this connection that the son, Thomas Curtis Clark, has become a journalist and writer of permanent fame. He has issued a book of poems and his contributions of lyric poetry to various magazines are attracting wide attention in American and Europe. Dr. Charles Clark is on the medical staff of the Mutual Benefit Insurance Company and has already attained a very high rank as a physician. He and Dr. F. H. Batman of this city were medical students together in Chicago.
The funeral of Rev. Clark will be held Saturday at 1:30 from the First...
[The Telephone, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, January 24 or 26, 1918]
=====
Burial Records state: CLARK, REV. THOS J / Date of Death - 1/23/1918 / Last Residence - (Blank) / Place of Birth - (Blank) / Age - 71 / Gender - M / Cemetery - Rose Hill / Section and Lot - Spencer Addition, 188
=====
DICIPLES OF CHRIST IN INDIANA: ACHIEVEMENTS OF A CENTURY, Commodore Wesley Cauble. Indianapolis, IN: Meigs Publishing Co., 1930, p. 207.
Thomas J. Clark, 1846-1918, served long pastorates during his life and they were successful. He was the minister at Vincennes for 21 years, at Bloomington for eighteen years, and at Albion, Ill., he served for seven years.
=====
INDIANA UNIVERSITY, ITS HISTORY, 1828-1890,
Theophilus A. Wylie, 1890, pp. 252
1872
Thomas Jefferson Clark, born April 19, 1849, in Bruceville, Knox Co. Residence, Vincennes, Indiana. Educated at Bloomington common schools.
Degrees, A. B. and A. M. Occupation and position, Principal of Vincennes high School, 1873. Minister of Christian Church, Vincennes, for the last seventeen years. Mr. Clark has been a diligent and successful minister; has had 732 accessions to his church; has preached 2,250 sermons, attended 235 funerals, and united in marriage 224 couples. Mr. Clark married Miss Emma Jennings, of class 1873.
====
Misc Newspaper Clippings:
a.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, April 20, 1894, p. 2.
NOTE: This item was abbreviated as noted by the ellipsis.
REV. CLARK FOR THE PASTOR OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Selected by a Unanimouos Vote--Short Sketch of His Life
Rev. Thomas J. Clark has been elected pastor of the Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church.
A meeting of the official board of the church was held last night, called for the purpose of selecting a pastor, and the name of Mr. Clark was the only one taken into consideration, and it was decided by a unanimous vote to ask him to accept the position... Mr. Clark, having been born and raised in Bloomington, almost all the members of the board knew him personally, and all expressed themselves as quite anxious for him accept the place... There are reasons to believe that Mr. Clark will accept, though he could not be expected to do so at any sacrifice, as his relations at Vincennes have always been most pleasant, and he is well fixed in all respects. The salary at Vincennes, including all sources, is about $1,500 a year with a parsonage. This is a second time that Rev. Clark has received a call from this congregation, but as he has children that will soon be old enough to enter the University, it is thought that this will be an additional inducement for him to accept at this time.
Rev. Clark is a son of Mr. and Mrs. William A. Clark, East 7th Street, and was born and raised in Bloomington. He is a graduate of Indiana University in the class of 1872, and soon after his graduation entered the ministry. He was first called to Vincennes, this state, where he has been located for the past 22 years as the pastor of one church, it being his first and only congregation. Mr. Clark is one of the strong men of Indiana, and is regarded as the peer of the preachers of his own denomination. The fact that when he went to Vincennes he took hold of a small, struggling church and that now it is one of the leading congregations of the Christian denomination is evidence of his ability...
b.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Weekly Courier, December 21, 1897, p. 1
Thomas Clark, Jr. son of Rev. T. J. Clark who has been teaching school at Vincennes, is expected home this week.
c.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, May 9, 1905, p. 4.
Judge and Mrs. T. S. Gerhart, the guests of Mrs. Gerhart's parents, Rev. and Mrs. T. J. Clark, returned to Kokomo today.
d.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Evening World, September 17, 1907, p. 1.
Rev. and Mrs. T. J. Clark are in Chicago to attend the wedding tomorrow of their son, Dr. Charles Clark to Miss Bessie Burnett, of Oconta, Wisconsin. The couple will be married in their flat and go to housekeeping at once. Dr. Clark met his bride elect while she was a nurse in St. Luke's Hospital. She is a graduate nurse. Dr. Clark is a graduate of Indiana University, class of 1901, a graduate of Rush Medical College, class of 1904, and a graduate Interne of St. Luke's Hospital, class of 1906. The couple will make their home in Chicago.
-----
Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Evening World, September 19, 1907, p. 4.
Rev. and Mrs. T. J. Clark are home from Chicago where they attended the wedding of their son, Dr. Charles Clark.
e.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, January 7, 1908, p. 1.
Rev. T. J. Clark to Resign
Action Caused by Petition. Announcement Made Sunday
Rev. T. J. Clark, at the Sunday morning services of the Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church, notified the congregation that it was his intention to resign, and he asked that a meeting of the official board be held Wednesday evening to consider the question.
The decision of Rev. Clark is brought about at this time because of a petition circulated within the last week signed by some of the church members, including 10 officers of the church, asking that he offer his resignation as pastor. Rev. Clark spoke with much feeling of the method the petitioners had used, in that they did not come to him face to face. He said that while he was not without fault, yet there were members of the church, and even officials, who had not given the church work proper encouragement. There were names to the petition in whose families he had administered in hours of distress, and there were those whom he had assistd in walks of life. He realized his age, but his life had been spent in the ministry--22 years in Vincennes and 13 years here--and he dapriciated (sic) the theory that a preacher was not desirable if past middle life.
The talk was personal and full of feeling--so much so that a majority of the audience was in tears and, after the services, scores crowded about the altar and extended their hearty sympathy.
Christian Minister, Old Soldier and Fine Citizen
Spent 45 Years in Three Pastorates
The community was shocked Wednesday afternoon to learn of the sudden death of Rev. T. J. Clark at his home on North Washington Street. He had been ill for about two weeks but was feeling much better, and his recovery in a few days was fully expected. The end came as a result of heart failure to which he was subject at times. During the day he had been resting easily and sleeping most of the time, but at 3:40 without any previous sign of sinking, he quietly went to sleep never to awake again in this life. John Foster, a neighbor and old friend, had just come into the home besides Mrs. Clark. Funeral probably Saturday awaiting the arrival of all the children.
Rev. Clark is survived by his wife and five children-Mrs. Carrie Gerhart, Sumner, Ill.; Mrs. Grace Fisher, Chicago; Mrs. Ruth Neff, Indianapolis; Thomas Curtis Clark, Chicago; and Dr. Charles Clark, Summitt, N. J. The sisters who survive are Mrs. R. A. Von Fossen of Pittsburg and Mrs. W. P. Rogers of Cincinnati.
Few families have been as intimately related to the development of Bloomington as that of Rev. T. J. Clark. Born at Bruceville, Knox County, April 19, 1846, next April he would have been 72. His parents moved to Bloomington in June 1846. As a boy he attended the schools of Bloomington and the academy of the University. In 1859, alongside W. N. Showers, he began to learn the cabinet trade under the late C. C. showers in the old shop that stood about where Combs Store is now on the east side. December 9th, 1863, he enlisted in Co. I, 10th Cavalry, and remained in the service until mustered out at Vicksburg, August 31st, 1865. He returned to Bloomington and re-entered school, graduating from the University July 2, 1872. On July 3rd, 1873, he was married to Emma Jennings on her graduation day from the University. It is an interesting fact that their three daughters-Grace, Carrie and Ruth-were all married on their graduation days. All five of Rev. and Mrs. Clark's children are graduates of the University as well as their two sons-in-law. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and his parents were Mr. and Mrs. William A. Clark, pioneer citizens of blessed memory.
From September fist, 1872, to September 1st, 1894, Rev. Clark was pastor of the First Christian Church of Vincennes; from September 1st 1894 to September 1st, 1908, he was pastor of the Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church of Bloomington and until September 1918, he was pastor at Albion, Ill. Thus he spent 45 years in three pastorates. During this time he preached 3,173 sermons, 967 funerals, performed 615 weddings and received 2,798 people into the church. It is inspiring to contemplate the great good of such a life.
During all these years his wife has been an unusual help and support to him; a woman of great ability in church and community life and was always most active in all good work.
It is interesting to state in this connection that the son, Thomas Curtis Clark, has become a journalist and writer of permanent fame. He has issued a book of poems and his contributions of lyric poetry to various magazines are attracting wide attention in American and Europe. Dr. Charles Clark is on the medical staff of the Mutual Benefit Insurance Company and has already attained a very high rank as a physician. He and Dr. F. H. Batman of this city were medical students together in Chicago.
The funeral of Rev. Clark will be held Saturday at 1:30 from the First...
[The Telephone, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, January 24 or 26, 1918]
=====
Burial Records state: CLARK, REV. THOS J / Date of Death - 1/23/1918 / Last Residence - (Blank) / Place of Birth - (Blank) / Age - 71 / Gender - M / Cemetery - Rose Hill / Section and Lot - Spencer Addition, 188
=====
DICIPLES OF CHRIST IN INDIANA: ACHIEVEMENTS OF A CENTURY, Commodore Wesley Cauble. Indianapolis, IN: Meigs Publishing Co., 1930, p. 207.
Thomas J. Clark, 1846-1918, served long pastorates during his life and they were successful. He was the minister at Vincennes for 21 years, at Bloomington for eighteen years, and at Albion, Ill., he served for seven years.
=====
INDIANA UNIVERSITY, ITS HISTORY, 1828-1890,
Theophilus A. Wylie, 1890, pp. 252
1872
Thomas Jefferson Clark, born April 19, 1849, in Bruceville, Knox Co. Residence, Vincennes, Indiana. Educated at Bloomington common schools.
Degrees, A. B. and A. M. Occupation and position, Principal of Vincennes high School, 1873. Minister of Christian Church, Vincennes, for the last seventeen years. Mr. Clark has been a diligent and successful minister; has had 732 accessions to his church; has preached 2,250 sermons, attended 235 funerals, and united in marriage 224 couples. Mr. Clark married Miss Emma Jennings, of class 1873.
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Misc Newspaper Clippings:
a.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, April 20, 1894, p. 2.
NOTE: This item was abbreviated as noted by the ellipsis.
REV. CLARK FOR THE PASTOR OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Selected by a Unanimouos Vote--Short Sketch of His Life
Rev. Thomas J. Clark has been elected pastor of the Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church.
A meeting of the official board of the church was held last night, called for the purpose of selecting a pastor, and the name of Mr. Clark was the only one taken into consideration, and it was decided by a unanimous vote to ask him to accept the position... Mr. Clark, having been born and raised in Bloomington, almost all the members of the board knew him personally, and all expressed themselves as quite anxious for him accept the place... There are reasons to believe that Mr. Clark will accept, though he could not be expected to do so at any sacrifice, as his relations at Vincennes have always been most pleasant, and he is well fixed in all respects. The salary at Vincennes, including all sources, is about $1,500 a year with a parsonage. This is a second time that Rev. Clark has received a call from this congregation, but as he has children that will soon be old enough to enter the University, it is thought that this will be an additional inducement for him to accept at this time.
Rev. Clark is a son of Mr. and Mrs. William A. Clark, East 7th Street, and was born and raised in Bloomington. He is a graduate of Indiana University in the class of 1872, and soon after his graduation entered the ministry. He was first called to Vincennes, this state, where he has been located for the past 22 years as the pastor of one church, it being his first and only congregation. Mr. Clark is one of the strong men of Indiana, and is regarded as the peer of the preachers of his own denomination. The fact that when he went to Vincennes he took hold of a small, struggling church and that now it is one of the leading congregations of the Christian denomination is evidence of his ability...
b.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Weekly Courier, December 21, 1897, p. 1
Thomas Clark, Jr. son of Rev. T. J. Clark who has been teaching school at Vincennes, is expected home this week.
c.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, May 9, 1905, p. 4.
Judge and Mrs. T. S. Gerhart, the guests of Mrs. Gerhart's parents, Rev. and Mrs. T. J. Clark, returned to Kokomo today.
d.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Evening World, September 17, 1907, p. 1.
Rev. and Mrs. T. J. Clark are in Chicago to attend the wedding tomorrow of their son, Dr. Charles Clark to Miss Bessie Burnett, of Oconta, Wisconsin. The couple will be married in their flat and go to housekeeping at once. Dr. Clark met his bride elect while she was a nurse in St. Luke's Hospital. She is a graduate nurse. Dr. Clark is a graduate of Indiana University, class of 1901, a graduate of Rush Medical College, class of 1904, and a graduate Interne of St. Luke's Hospital, class of 1906. The couple will make their home in Chicago.
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Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Evening World, September 19, 1907, p. 4.
Rev. and Mrs. T. J. Clark are home from Chicago where they attended the wedding of their son, Dr. Charles Clark.
e.) Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, January 7, 1908, p. 1.
Rev. T. J. Clark to Resign
Action Caused by Petition. Announcement Made Sunday
Rev. T. J. Clark, at the Sunday morning services of the Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church, notified the congregation that it was his intention to resign, and he asked that a meeting of the official board be held Wednesday evening to consider the question.
The decision of Rev. Clark is brought about at this time because of a petition circulated within the last week signed by some of the church members, including 10 officers of the church, asking that he offer his resignation as pastor. Rev. Clark spoke with much feeling of the method the petitioners had used, in that they did not come to him face to face. He said that while he was not without fault, yet there were members of the church, and even officials, who had not given the church work proper encouragement. There were names to the petition in whose families he had administered in hours of distress, and there were those whom he had assistd in walks of life. He realized his age, but his life had been spent in the ministry--22 years in Vincennes and 13 years here--and he dapriciated (sic) the theory that a preacher was not desirable if past middle life.
The talk was personal and full of feeling--so much so that a majority of the audience was in tears and, after the services, scores crowded about the altar and extended their hearty sympathy.
Inscription
Co. I 10 Reg. Ind. Vol. Cav.
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