Thomas Green Fessenden
Encyclopedia
Thomas Green Fessenden was an author and editor who worked in England
and the United States
.
in 1796. During his college term wrote a ballad, entitled “Jonathan's Courtship,” which was reprinted in England. He studied law in Vermont with Nathaniel Chipman, occupying his leisure in writing humorous poems and other papers for the “Farmer's Weekly Museum” of Walpole, of which Joseph Dennie was then editor.
He went to London
in 1801 as agent for a new hydraulic machine. The enterprise proved a failure and involved him in pecuniary difficulties. While in London, he became interested in the construction of a patent mill on the Thames, and in this enterprise also he was completely ruined. At this time, he formed the acquaintance of Benjamin Douglas Perkins, patentee of the metallic tractors (see Elisha Perkins
) which Fessenden advertised in a poem in Hudibrastic verse. The poem, “Terrible Tractoration,” was anonymously published in 1803 and satirized the members of the medical profession who opposed the use of the instruments. Nathaniel Hawthorne
characterized the poem as “a work of strange, grotesque ideas, aptly expressed.” The poem was enlarged and republished in New York in 1806 as “The Minute Philosopher.”
Fessenden returned to the United States in 1804 and settled in Boston. Later he went to New York City
and edited the Weekly Inspector for two years. In 1812, he began to practise law in Bellows Falls, Vermont
. He moved to Brattleboro, Vermont
, in 1815, and was editor of the Reporter there. He returned to Bellows Falls from 1816 till 1822 to conduct the Intelligencer. In 1822, he went to Boston and founded the New England Farmer with which he was connected until his death. He also edited “The Horticultural Register” and “The Silk Manual.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne included a piece on Fessenden in his Fanshawe, and other Pieces (Boston, 1876).
His last satire was a little poem entitled “Wooden Booksellers.”
, in 1739, died in 1813. The elder Thomas was the son of Rev. William Fessenden, of Cambridge, and uncle to Samuel Fessenden
, the father of William P. Fessenden
. After graduation at Harvard in 1758, the elder Thomas became pastor in Walpole, New Hampshire
, which charge he held from 1767 until 1813. He was author of The Science of Sanctity (1804), and The Boston Self-styled Gentlemen-Reviewers reviewed (1806).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
He graduated from Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1796. During his college term wrote a ballad, entitled “Jonathan's Courtship,” which was reprinted in England. He studied law in Vermont with Nathaniel Chipman, occupying his leisure in writing humorous poems and other papers for the “Farmer's Weekly Museum” of Walpole, of which Joseph Dennie was then editor.
He went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1801 as agent for a new hydraulic machine. The enterprise proved a failure and involved him in pecuniary difficulties. While in London, he became interested in the construction of a patent mill on the Thames, and in this enterprise also he was completely ruined. At this time, he formed the acquaintance of Benjamin Douglas Perkins, patentee of the metallic tractors (see Elisha Perkins
Elisha Perkins
Elisha Perkins was a United States physician who created his own therapy, Perkins Patent Tractors.-Biography:...
) which Fessenden advertised in a poem in Hudibrastic verse. The poem, “Terrible Tractoration,” was anonymously published in 1803 and satirized the members of the medical profession who opposed the use of the instruments. Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
characterized the poem as “a work of strange, grotesque ideas, aptly expressed.” The poem was enlarged and republished in New York in 1806 as “The Minute Philosopher.”
Fessenden returned to the United States in 1804 and settled in Boston. Later he went to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and edited the Weekly Inspector for two years. In 1812, he began to practise law in Bellows Falls, Vermont
Bellows Falls, Vermont
Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,165 at the 2000 census...
. He moved to Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...
, in 1815, and was editor of the Reporter there. He returned to Bellows Falls from 1816 till 1822 to conduct the Intelligencer. In 1822, he went to Boston and founded the New England Farmer with which he was connected until his death. He also edited “The Horticultural Register” and “The Silk Manual.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne included a piece on Fessenden in his Fanshawe, and other Pieces (Boston, 1876).
Works
Some of his publications were:- Terrible Tractoration!! A Poetical Petition Against Galvanising Trumpery, and the Perkinistic Institution (1804)
- Original Poems (1806)
- Democracy Unveiled (1806)
- Pills, Poetical, Political, and Philosophical, Prescribed for the Purpose of Purging the Public of Piddling Philosophers, Penny Poetasters, of Paltry Politicians, and Petty Partisans, by Peter Pepperbox, Poet and Physician (1809)
- The American Clerk's Companion (1815)
- The Ladies' Monitor (1818)
- The Husbandman and Housewife (1820)
- Laws of Patents for New Inventions (1822)
His last satire was a little poem entitled “Wooden Booksellers.”
Family
His father was Thomas Fessenden, a clergyman, born in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, in 1739, died in 1813. The elder Thomas was the son of Rev. William Fessenden, of Cambridge, and uncle to Samuel Fessenden
Samuel Fessenden
Samuel Fessenden was an American abolitionist and Massachusetts state legislator. -Biography:...
, the father of William P. Fessenden
William P. Fessenden
William Pitt Fessenden was an American politician from the U.S. state of Maine.Fessenden was a Whig and member of the Fessenden political family...
. After graduation at Harvard in 1758, the elder Thomas became pastor in Walpole, New Hampshire
Walpole, New Hampshire
Walpole is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,734 at the 2010 census.The town's central settlement, where 605 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Walpole census-designated place , and is east of New Hampshire Route 12...
, which charge he held from 1767 until 1813. He was author of The Science of Sanctity (1804), and The Boston Self-styled Gentlemen-Reviewers reviewed (1806).