Joseph Clemens (9 December 1862 – 21 January 1936) was an American Methodist Episcopalian chaplain, missionary and plant collector who served and worked in South East Asia and elsewhere. He was born in the rugged western English county of Cornwall. Later, his family migrated to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and then moved to Eichelsburg, Pennsylvania. His father was a Cornish iron miner, Charles Clemens, and his mother, Mary Jane James Clemens. Joe was the only one of five brothers who did not follow the family tradition and become a miner. He also had a sister. Education In 1890, at the age of 28, he entered Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania after probable preparation at the Williamsport Seminary, which was a secondary school and a source of Dickinson students at the time. While at Dickinson, Joseph took the basic courses and studied to be a missionary. Among his courses of study were Dutch, German, Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, as well as Physics, Chemistry, Analytical Geometry, Political Economics, English Literature and Psychology. While at Dickinson, he was a member of the Sigma-Phi chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and he wrote one of the yearly histories for the fraternity. He was the treasurer for the Union Philosophical Society and exhibited his religious zeal by being the treasurer of the Dickinson Prohibition Club. He played in the College orchestra and sang in the College choir. He was also a member of the Democratic committee at the college YMCA and the class poet. Pointing to his eventual missionary status, he was a member of the Missionary department at the College YMCA and the corresponding secretary of the Williamsport Seminary Club. While at Dickinson, he passed most of his time with his involvement in his many activities4. He also played checkers, wrote letters to friends, acquaintances, family, church, and, of course, to his fiancé, Mary Knapp Strong of Muncy County, and studied. Many of his weekends were spent traveling to Williamsport to spend time with Mary. Missionary work After graduation, from 1894–1901 Clemens was a pastor for the Central Pennsylvania Methodist Episcopal Conference. In 1896 he married Mary Knapp Strong. In 1901 he decided to serve his country and became a chaplain in the United States Army. After his commissioning, he was sent almost directly to Hawaii with the Fifteenth Infantry. From Hawaii, he was moved to the new American possession of the Philippines, recently obtained from Spain