Nathaniel P. Rogers
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel Peabody Rogers (June 3, 1794—October 16, 1846) was an American abolitionist writer who, from June 1838 until June 1846, served as editor of the New England
anti-slavery newspaper Herald of Freedom.
town of Plymouth
, Nathaniel Peabody Rogers was the fifth child of Harvard
-educated physician and poet, John Rogers (March 27, 1755–March 8, 1814), and his wife, Betsy Mulliken. Young Nathaniel entered Dartmouth College
in 1811 but, within a few months, suffered severe internal damage while participating in a game of football, and was forced to withdraw for a year of recuperation, with the injuries continuing as a source of pain for the remainder of his life, ultimately contributing to his death at age 52. Returning to Dartmouth, he graduated in 1816, studied law with Salisbury
attorney and future Massachusetts
congressman Richard Fletcher until 1819, and was admitted to the New Hampshire Bar that year.
In 1838, giving up a lucrative 19-year legal practice in his native Plymouth and moving to Concord
, he became editor of the abolitionist newspaper Herald of Freedom, to which he had been contributing articles since its 1835 founding by the New Hampshire Anti-Slavery Society. His editorial writings, noted for an impulsive, unaffected and witty, sometimes sarcastic, style as well as for poetic descriptions of nature, were widely reprinted in New York Tribune
and other anti-slavery newspapers, under pen name
"The Old Man of the Mountain". In 1840, he represented New Hampshire abolitionists in London
at the World's Anti-Slavery Convention, but withdrew in protest when the Convention refused to seat American women delegates. Returning to America and finding himself widely praised for supporting equality of the sexes, as well as equality of color, he received offers to head major newspapers and became known as a public speaker on issues of temperance, women's rights and the abolition of slavery, in the process becoming the subject of Henry David Thoreau
’s 1844 Dial
essay, “Herald of Freedom
”, which Thoreau revised for its 1846 republication in memoriam of Rogers.
Four months before his death, sensing failing health, Rogers wrote to his old friend, the poet John Greenleaf Whittier
, "I am striving to get me an asylum of a farm. I have a wife and seven children, every one of them with a whole spirit. I don't want to be separated from any of them, only with a view to come together again. I have a beautiful little retreat in prospect, forty odd miles north, where I imagine I can get potatoes and repose,--a sort of haven or port. I am among the breakers, and 'mad for land.' If I get this home,--it is a mile or two in among the hills from the pretty domicil once visited by yourself and glorious Thompson
,--I am this moment indulging the fancy that I may see you at it before we die." Whittier published a posthumous profile of his anti-slavery compatriot as a chapter in the 1850 literary collection, Old Portraits and Modern Sketches.
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
anti-slavery newspaper Herald of Freedom.
Biography
A native of the New HampshireNew Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
town of Plymouth
Plymouth, New Hampshire
Plymouth is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States, in the White Mountains Region. Plymouth is located at the convergence of the Pemigewasset and Baker rivers. The population was 6,990 at the 2010 census...
, Nathaniel Peabody Rogers was the fifth child of Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
-educated physician and poet, John Rogers (March 27, 1755–March 8, 1814), and his wife, Betsy Mulliken. Young Nathaniel entered Dartmouth College
Dartmouth 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 1811 but, within a few months, suffered severe internal damage while participating in a game of football, and was forced to withdraw for a year of recuperation, with the injuries continuing as a source of pain for the remainder of his life, ultimately contributing to his death at age 52. Returning to Dartmouth, he graduated in 1816, studied law with Salisbury
Salisbury, New Hampshire
Salisbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 1,382 at the 2010 census.-History:While still part of Massachusetts, the town was granted as Baker's Town after Captain Thomas Baker in 1736. After New Hampshire became a separate colony, the town was re-granted by the...
attorney and future Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
congressman Richard Fletcher until 1819, and was admitted to the New Hampshire Bar that year.
In 1838, giving up a lucrative 19-year legal practice in his native Plymouth and moving to Concord
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, he became editor of the abolitionist newspaper Herald of Freedom, to which he had been contributing articles since its 1835 founding by the New Hampshire Anti-Slavery Society. His editorial writings, noted for an impulsive, unaffected and witty, sometimes sarcastic, style as well as for poetic descriptions of nature, were widely reprinted in New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
and other anti-slavery newspapers, under pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
"The Old Man of the Mountain". In 1840, he represented New Hampshire abolitionists in 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...
at the World's Anti-Slavery Convention, but withdrew in protest when the Convention refused to seat American women delegates. Returning to America and finding himself widely praised for supporting equality of the sexes, as well as equality of color, he received offers to head major newspapers and became known as a public speaker on issues of temperance, women's rights and the abolition of slavery, in the process becoming the subject of Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
’s 1844 Dial
The Dial
The Dial was an American magazine published intermittently from 1840 to 1929. In its first form, from 1840 to 1844, it served as the chief publication of the Transcendentalists. In the 1880s it was revived as a political magazine...
essay, “Herald of Freedom
Herald of Freedom (essay)
Herald of Freedom was an essay by Henry David Thoreau published in The Dial in 1844 that praised Herald of Freedom, the journal of the New Hampshire Anti-Slavery Society and its editor, Nathaniel P. Rogers...
”, which Thoreau revised for its 1846 republication in memoriam of Rogers.
Four months before his death, sensing failing health, Rogers wrote to his old friend, the poet John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...
, "I am striving to get me an asylum of a farm. I have a wife and seven children, every one of them with a whole spirit. I don't want to be separated from any of them, only with a view to come together again. I have a beautiful little retreat in prospect, forty odd miles north, where I imagine I can get potatoes and repose,--a sort of haven or port. I am among the breakers, and 'mad for land.' If I get this home,--it is a mile or two in among the hills from the pretty domicil once visited by yourself and glorious Thompson
George Thompson (abolitionist)
George Donisthorpe Thompson was a British antislavery orator and activist who worked toward the abolition of slavery through lecture tours and legislation while serving as a Member of Parliament...
,--I am this moment indulging the fancy that I may see you at it before we die." Whittier published a posthumous profile of his anti-slavery compatriot as a chapter in the 1850 literary collection, Old Portraits and Modern Sketches.