Hawthorne, Nathaniel

Hawthorne's Life

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem 1804 and died in 1864. A well-known short-story writer and novelist, he was born in a house at 27 Union St. (This house was later moved to the House of Seven Gables complex.) Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College, graduating in 1825. He married Sophia Peabody of Salem on July 9, 1842. The family lived in Concord at the "Old Manse" and the "Wayside" and in Lenox and Salem until moving abroad in 1853 for Hawthorne's job as political consul. They spent seven years in England, Italy and France. He died on May 19, 1864 in Plymouth, New Hampshire on a trip with his friend, former president Franklin Pierce. He is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord. His wife Sophia and daughter Una, who both died in England and were buried there, were re-interred in June 2006 in plots adjacent to Hawthorne's. Hawthorne's three children were Una (1844-1877), Julian (1846-1934) and Rose (1851-1926).

Hawthorne's Work

Hawthorne is best known today for his many short stories (he called them "tales") and his four major romances written between 1850 and 1860: The Scarlet Letter (1850), The House of the Seven Gables (1851), The Blithedale Romance (1852) and The Marble Faun (1860). Many of his works are inspired by Puritan New England, combining historical romance loaded with symbolism and deep psychological themes.

Nathaniel Hawthorne on Film Some adaptations include: The House of the Seven Gables by Universal Pictures in 1940. Starring George Sanders; Van Grey; Dick Foran, Cecil Kellaway; Vincent Price The House of the Seven Gables by Matinee Theatre, 1956. This one hour version stars John Carradine as Clifford, Helen Wallace as Hepzibah and Marshall Thompson as Johnathan Holgrave. The House of the Seven Gables by the Shirley Temple Storybook Hour, 1960. Stars Shirley Temple as Phoebe Pyncheon.

See Also

Vertical File in Salem Collection- Hawthorne, Nathaniel

Hawthorne in Salem Website

Hawthorne Houses in Salem Website

Nathaniel Hawthorne's Neighborhood SalemWeb site

Hawthorne: a life by Brenda Wineapple, 2003.

Salem Is My Dwelling Place by E. H. Miller

Essex Institute Historical Collections Manning Family Genealogy of Salem and Ipswich, Vol. 17, p. 72-73

"Hawthorne revisited; author's kin are re-interred" Boston Globe, June 27, 2006, p. B1

"Hawthorne's life revisited, 200 years later"Salem News, Jan. 30, 2004, p. A1

"Hawthorne day is being observed: the Centennial of birth of N. Hawthorne" Salem Evening News, June 23, 1904, p. 1

"He disliked city, but Salem loves its Hawthorne: 200th birthday celebration" Salem News, July 2, 2004, p. A1

"Hawthorne's birthplace leaves Union Street" Salem Evening News, May 1, 1958, p. 1