Fun Facts Friday: Nathaniel Hawthorne

1. Nathaniel Hathorne Ir. was born in Salem, MA. His father as a sea captain who died when Ir. was four years old. The family went to live with relatives in Salem. Later the family lived in Raymond, Maine which the future writer always thought.of fondly.

2. His family immigrated from England in 1651, headed by Puritan William Hathorne who became a leading figure in New England.

3. John Hathorne, William’s son, was one of the judges who oversaw the Salem Witch Trials. It is thought that the author added the “w” in his neme to separate him from his great-great-grandfather’s legacy.

4.Young Hathorne completed his schooling in Salem, and despite his protests was sent to Bowdoin College with his uncle’s financial support.

5. Fanshawe. A Tale (1828) was Nathaniel Hawthorne’s first published work, even though it appeared anonymously. The book was based on his college experience, the author paid $100 to have it published.

6. By 1836, Hawthorne found himself in Boston working as a magazine editor until he was offered a job at the Boston Custom House as weigher and gauger.

7. He married Sophie Peabody, known for her paintings and illustrations, in 1842. To save money for the wedding, the he lived at Brooks Farm, a utopian community. That experience inspired the novel The Blithedale Romance.

8. The happy couple lived for three years on Concord, MA where Nathaniel Hawthorne was invited by his neighbor, Ralph Waldo Emerson, to meet his friends. Nathaniel, as well as Sophia, were a shy coupe but enjoyed a long and happy, marriage. The went on to have three children.

9. Mr. Hawthorne’s career took off as he was appointed as Surveyor for the District of Salem and Beverly, as well as inspector of Revenue for the Port of Salem. His employment though left him little time to writer. He returned to writing after losing his job thanks to the old spoils system when Democrats took power.

10. A campaign biography of his friend Franklin Pierce, Life of Franklin Pierce, was instrumental in electing the #e President. The biography painted Pierce as great and brave man wus called by Horace Mann the ‘greatest work of fiction he ever wrote: As a thank you, Pierce appointed him as United States consul in Liverpool, a very lucrative position.