Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne died on this day in 1864 at the age of 59. He was born in Salem Massachusetts in 1804 and lived much of his childhood in Raymond, Maine. One of his ancestors, John Hathorne, was the only judge at the Salem Witch Trials who never repented of his decisions. Nathaniel, ashamed of this, added the "w" to his name to hide the relation. He attended Bowdoin College along with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. At the age of 38, he married the painter and illustrator, Sophia Peabody, who was 33. Theirs was a love match, and they admired each other greatly. Sophia had suffered severe headaches that confined her to bed, but marriage seemed to have cured them.

Sophia Peabody Hawthorne

The couple first lived in an old manse in Concord, Massachusetts, and Ralph Waldo Emerson was their neighbor. However, both Nathaniel and Sophia tended to be shy and never became an integral part of the writer's social network. They had three children, two daughters and a son. The Hawthornes lived in various places in New England, including Boston. 

Nathaniel Hawthorne not long before his death

As the Civil War raged, Nathaniel's health began to fail. Experiencing severe stomach pain, he assured Sophia that a trip with his friend, Franklin Pierce, would be good for him. He died on the trip in his sleep on May 19, 1864. Sophia was so devastated she needed someone else to plan the funeral.

Nathaniel was mainly a short story writer, but he did also complete several novels, including The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. He is often considered one of the early American authors of note, and his works have become classics.

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