William Clark Gable was born on February 1, 1901, in Cadiz, Ohio, to William Henry "Will" Gable (1870–1948), an oil-well driller, and his wife Adeline (née Hershelman).
His father was a Protestant and his mother a Catholic.
Gable was named William after his father, but he was almost always called Clark or Billy.
Due to the doctor's illegible handwriting, he was mistakenly listed as male and female in the county register; the clerk later corrected it to male.
He had Pennsylvania Dutch,  Belgian, and German ancestry.

Gable was six months old when he was baptized at a Roman Catholic church in Dennison, Ohio.
When he was ten months old, his mother died.
His father refused to raise him in the Catholic faith, which provoked criticism from the Hershelman family.
The dispute was resolved when his father agreed to allow him to spend time with his maternal uncle Charles Hershelman and his wife on their farm in Vernon Township, Pennsylvania.
In April 1903, Gable's father married Jennie Dunlap (1874–1920).

Gable's stepmother raised the tall, shy child with a loud voice to be well-dressed and well-groomed.
She played the piano and gave him lessons at home.
He later took up brass instruments, becoming the only boy in the Hopedale Men's town band at age 13.
Gable was mechanically inclined and loved to repair cars with his father, who insisted that he engage in masculine activities such as hunting and hard physical work.
Gable also loved literature; he would recite Shakespeare among trusted company, particularly the sonnets.

His father had financial difficulties in 1917 and decided to try his hand at farming, and moved the family to Palmyra Township, near Akron, Ohio.
His father insisted that he work the farm, but Gable soon left to work in Akron for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.
William Clark Gable was born on February 1, 1901, in Cadiz, Ohio, to William Henry "Will" Gable (1870–1948), an oil-well driller, and his wife Adeline (née Hershelman). His father was a Protestant and his mother a Catholic. Gable was named William after his father, but he was almost always called Clark or Billy. Due to the doctor's illegible handwriting, he was mistakenly listed as male and female in the county register; the clerk later corrected it to male. He had Pennsylvania Dutch,  Belgian, and German ancestry.
Gable was six months old when he was baptized at a Roman Catholic church in Dennison, Ohio. When he was ten months old, his mother died. His father refused to raise him in the Catholic faith, which provoked criticism from the Hershelman family. The dispute was resolved when his father agreed to allow him to spend time with his maternal uncle Charles Hershelman and his wife on their farm in Vernon Township, Pennsylvania. In April 1903, Gable's father married Jennie Dunlap (1874–1920).
Gable's stepmother raised the tall, shy child with a loud voice to be well-dressed and well-groomed. She played the piano and gave him lessons at home. He later took up brass instruments, becoming the only boy in the Hopedale Men's town band at age 13. Gable was mechanically inclined and loved to repair cars with his father, who insisted that he engage in masculine activities such as hunting and hard physical work. Gable also loved literature; he would recite Shakespeare among trusted company, particularly the sonnets.
His father had financial difficulties in 1917 and decided to try his hand at farming, and moved the family to Palmyra Township, near Akron, Ohio. His father insisted that he work the farm, but Gable soon left to work in Akron for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.
Clark Gable