Abraham Clark

Abraham Clark was born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, February 15, 1726. He received a plain education, and studied surveying and law. He was distinguished for his sound judgment and strong common sense, and was often called upon to give advice in legal matters, though he never entered into regular practice.

He early espoused the cause of liberty, and was a member of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey. In 1776 he was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress, and was present at the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, to which he affixed his signature.

During the war, two of his sons were taken prisoners by the British and confined in the prison ship Jersey, where they suffered great hardships. Clark remained firm in his devotion to the cause, and continued to serve in Congress until 1784. He was afterward elected to the State Legislature and to the Congress under the Federal Constitution.

He died September 15, 1794, in the sixty-ninth year of his age.

Source:
Lossing, Benson J. The Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. New York: A.S. Barnes & Co., 1855. Patriot Echoes Archive