Silence Dogood and The New-England Courant

Dearest Gentle Reader,

Lady Whistledown might run the rumor-mill of a fictionalized, Regency Era London in the Bridgerton series, but did you know that colonial Boston had its own version of Whistledown? Between April 2nd, 1722 and October 8th, 1722, a mysterious person under the penname Silence Dogood (pronounced “do good”) submitted fourteen letters to the Boston-based newspaper, The New-England Courant, which published them for the rest of Boston to read.

In her missives, Dogood routinely provided commentary on various aspects of New England society, as she noted in one of her early letters:

“… I intend to proceed, bestowing now and then a few gentle Reproofs on those who deserve them, not forgetting at the same time to applaud those whose Actions merit Commendation. And here I must not forget to invite the ingenious Part of your Readers, particularly those of my own Sex to enter into a Correspondence with me, assuring them, that their Condescension in this Particular shall be received as a Favour, and accordingly acknowledged.” – Silence Dogood, The New-England Courant, April 30, 1722.

Charity, education, and even women’s fashion were just some of the topics she treated. Though writing with a satirical angle, she broached topics which were highly relevant to the social-political climate of the day – such as the dangers of mingling of religious power with political power: “A Man compounded of Law and Gospel, is able to cheat a whole Country with his Religion, and then destroy them under Colour of Law” (Dogood, The New-England Courant, July 16-23, 1722.). An even more precarious topic she tackled was freedom of speech. In one of her letters, she used a lengthy quotation about free speech which she had taken from the London Journal to comprise the entirety of her letter’s body. The quote opens with “Without Freedom of Thought, there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such Thing as publick Liberty, without Freedom of Speech; which is the Right of every Man, as far as by it, he does not hurt or controul the Right of another.” Proceeded only by a brief salutation and an even more succinct valediction, the passage in that week’s entry must have seemed to her colonial readers as Dogood’s pointed support of freedom of speech and the press. More savvy readers might have picked up on the fact that this letter was published after the arrest and imprisonment of the newspaper’s owner (and Dogood’s principal addressee, “Author of the New-England Courant”), James Franklin.

Unlike Julia Quinn’s fictional writer, Silence Dogood was more than willing to share details about her life. In her first two letters to the Courant, she divulged that she was a reverend’s widow, a mother to three children, and not against marrying a second time (provided her prospective beaux measure up to certain standards). These small crumbs were not enough to satisfy her readers, however, and speculation about her identity continued – with some people claiming to know her, as Dogood herself observed in one of her letters:

"... I so far indulg’d in my self the Humour of the Town in walking abroad, as to continue from my Lodgings two or three Hours later than usual ... I met indeed with the common Fate of Listeners, (who hear no good of themselves,) but from a Consciousness of my Innocence, receiv’d it with a Satisfaction beyond what the Love of Flattery and the Daubings of a Parasite could produce. The Company who rally’d me were about Twenty in Number, of both Sexes; and tho’ the Confusion of Tongues (like that of Babel) which always happens among so many impetuous Talkers, render’d their Discourse not so intelligible as I could wish, I learnt thus much, That one of the Females pretended to know me, from some Discourse she had heard at a certain House before the Publication of one of my Letters; adding, That I was a Person of an ill Character, and kept a criminal Correspondence with a Gentleman who assisted me in Writing. One of the Gallants clear’d me of this random Charge, by saying, That tho’ I wrote in the Character of a Woman, he knew me to be a Man; But, continu’d he, he has more need of endeavouring a Reformation in himself, than spending his Wit in satyrizing others.” – Silence Dogood, The New-England Courant, September 24, 1722.

Opinion on Dogood was clearly divided, as this overheard conversation shows, yet her column drew in readers who submitted correspondences addressed to her in the Courant.

Front page of The New-England Courant, Issue No. 43, May 21-28, 1722.
Image source: HathiTrust

But who was the author behind the penname? The true identity of colonial New England’s sassiest widow was none other than one of our country’s founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin. Franklin, who was sixteen at the time, concocted Dogood as a means of getting published in the Courant, something which the owner, Franklin’s older brother James, wouldn’t allow him to do. Although young Benjamin’s stint as Silence Dogood was short-lived, these letters remain a highly entertaining resource for anyone researching Franklin and society in 18th century America. You can access more digitized issues of The New-England Courant on HathiTrust here. If you want to see more of the Dogood articles – check out the Massachusetts Historical Society’s digital project about them here. Transcriptions of the Dogood articles, as well as other works by Benjamin Franklin, are also available here.

If you would like to learn more about Franklin, Dogood, and colonial press – check out these books in the recommended reading list:

• Silence Dogood, the Busy-Body, and early writings: Boston and London, 1722-1726, Philadelphia, 1726-1757, London, 1757-1775
• Colonial and early American journalism
• Infamous scribblers: the Founding Fathers and the rowdy beginnings of American journalism

Please note: these books are from other libraries in the CW Mars network, if you have a library card with the State Library, you can request these books through our online catalog.

Happy reading!

Maryellen Larkin, Government Documents & Reference Librarian

References:
The Papers of Benjamin Franklin

Massachusetts Historical Society

Lexington and Concord - Read All About It!

You can find a variety of historical newspapers in our Special Collections holdings, including some that date to the 1700s. We are lucky that amongst those is a bound volume of The Essex Gazette from 1775. This was a pivotal year in American history, full of events that culminated in the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. The Essex Gazette was published weekly, and this month in our Collection Spotlight case, we are displaying the issue that covered news from April 18 to April 25. As you may guess based on those dates, that issue included a write-up of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which occurred on April 19, 1775 – 250 years ago this month.

Lexington and Concord were the first military battles of the Revolutionary War. British troops were ordered to make their way to Concord to destroy military supplies that colonists had stored there. However, colonial intelligence knew that this attack was in the works, and preparations were made beforehand to hide the supplies and track the route of the British troops after they left Boston. Many are familiar with the line “one if by land, two if by sea” from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem "Paul Revere’s Ride." This refers to the lanterns that were placed in Old North Church on the night of April 18, 1775, notifying the Sons of Liberty if the British were making their way to Concord by land or by sea (really, by water, aka the Charles River). Upon seeing two lanterns, the colonists knew that the British were departing Boston by taking the Charles. Paul Revere set off from Boston to head to Lexington (where patriots John Hancock and Samuel Adams were stationed) warning townspeople of the British’s eminent arrival as he moved through Somerville, Arlington, and Medford. A full account of Paul Revere’s ride can be found on the Paul Revere House’s website. Revere’s alarm had roused militiamen in towns throughout the route; a group met the British in Lexington, and more militiamen gathered in Concord. Minuteman National Park is located throughout Lincoln, Lexington, and Concord, and its website provides comprehensive information about the battles that occurred on April 19. 

A List of Those Killed or Wounded,
as printed in The Essex Gazette

Since the Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements with the British, news of this significant event needed to be disseminated throughout the colonies. One of the ways that this was achieved was through newspapers, like the article from The Essex Gazette that we are displaying this month. From the article “The Newspaper Coverage of Lexington and Concord” by Frank Luther Mott and published in the December 1944 issue of The New England Quarterly, we learned that in April 1775 there were 37 newspapers in publication throughout the colonies. Newspapers largely shared information, sometimes reprinting articles verbatim as news moved geographically. The Essex Gazette was published on April 25, 1775, less than a week after the battle. It wasn’t the first newspaper to publish an account, but it was among the first and was published within close proximity of Lexington and Concord, two factors that lead to its publisher to having the time and means to compile a significant amount of information regarding the battles. Mott’s article states that, “it is rather commonly regarded as the most satisfactory early account of the battles.” You can click on the newspaper image above to see the text in full (it is in the middle and right hand column), and we have transcribed some of the opening text here:

On Tuesday Evening a detachment from the Army, consisting, it is said, of 8 or 900 men, commanded by Lieut. Col. Smith, embarked at the Bottom of the Common in Boston, on board a number of Boats, and landed at Phip’s Farm, a little Way up Charles River, from whence they proceeded with Silence and Expedition, on their Way to Concord, about 18 Miles from Boston. The people were soon alarmed, and began to assemble, in several Towns, before Day-Light, in order to watch the Motion of the Troops. At Lexington, 6 Miles below Concord, a Company of Militia, of about 100 men, mustered near the Meeting House; the Troops came in Sight of them just before Sun-rise; and running within a few Rods of them, the Commanding Officer accosted the Militia in Words to this Effect: – “Disperse you Rebels – Damn you, throw down your Arms and disperse:” Upon which the Troops buzz'd, and immediately one or two Officers discharged their pistols, which where instantaneously followed by the firing of 4 or 5 of the soldiers, and then there seemed to be a general Discharge from the whole Body: Eight of our Men were killed, and nine wounded. In a few Minutes after this action, the Enemy renewed their March for Concord; at which place they destroyed several Carriages, Carriage Wheels, and about 20 Barrels of Flour, all belonging to the Province.

The article then goes on to describe the action in Concord, the British’s retreat to Charlestown, and a list of individuals killed, wounded, and missing. It concludes with these stirring words, “the Public must sincerely sympathize with the Friends and Relations of our deceased Brethren, who gloriously sacrificed their Lives in fighting for the Liberties of their Country. By their noble, intrepid Conduct, in helping to defeat the Forces of an ungrateful Tyrant, they have endeared their Memories to the present Generation, who will transmit their Names to Posterity with the highest Honour.” An image of the list of those killed or wounded is included above.

But who was the individual behind the publication of this early account of the battles? Printer and publisher Samuel Hall established the patriot-leaning Essex Gazette in 1768, making it the first newspaper to be published out of Salem. His brother Ebenezer was brought on board in 1771. The paper’s masthead reads “Containing the freshest advices, both foreign and domestic,” which is reflected in its content shown here. The weekly newspaper isn’t very long, only four pages, but is packed with news from Boston and Massachusetts, elsewhere in the colonies and abroad, and advertisements. Interestingly, news of Lexington and Concord isn’t found on the first page, but rather on the third. This is because news from England was most often published on the first page. Shortly after the publication of this issue, Samuel and Ebenezer moved the printing operation to Cambridge and the name changed to The New England Chronicle. Ebenezer died in 1776, but Samuel continued printing The New England Chronicle until 1781. Though our holdings of this newspaper, throughout its various name changes, are not comprehensive (December 1774 through September 1776), we are lucky that the issues that we do have provide a primary source account from such a significant period in American history.

Mark the 250th anniversary of Lexington and Concord by visiting us to see The Essex Gazette on display in our reading room and take the opportunity to read a contemporary account of the battles that started the Revolutionary War. The newspaper will be on display from April 1 through April 29, and we are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 5:00 with the exception of Monday, April 20, when we will be closed for Patriots Day.

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

On Display in the State Library - The Massachusetts Mercury

Step back in time with this month’s Collection Spotlight item. On display for the month of June is a bound volume of The Massachusetts Mercury from 1796, open to show the front page from June 21 and the last page from May 24. Take a look at the pages to see the advertisements, news articles, and shipping departure schedules that Bay Staters would have reviewed themselves over 225 years ago!

The Massachusetts Mercury was a tri-weekly newspaper, founded in 1793 and published once every three weeks by Alexander Young and Thomas Minns from their office on State Street in Boston. Following The Massachusetts Mercury through time can be a little confusing, as over the years it changed names numerous times and merged with other papers. Young and Minns were the publishers for several years and the paper was known as The Massachusetts Mercury until 1800 when its name changed to The Mercury and New-England Palladium. It was then known as The New-England Palladium from 1803 until 1814, followed by The New-England Palladium & Commercial Advertiser until 1840, when it merged with other newspapers to become The Boston Semi-Weekly Advertiser. At the time of the displayed 1796 publication, the nameplate included the Latin phrase “dulcique animos novitate tenebo” which one of our staff members was able to translate as “and I will possess an open mind towards unfamiliarity” which seems like a fitting motto for newspaper readers.

Since the volume is bound, it is displayed open to show both the last page of the May 24 edition and the front page of the June 21 edition. Because the paper was published only once every few weeks, the content spans a range of dates. The news section includes events that have occurred since the last printing, and the advertisements and notices of auctions are for upcoming dates weeks into the future. Looking closer at the content, the front page shows a surprising amount of information about ships, both listings of departure dates and destinations of passenger vessels, and advertisements to buy vessels, which emphasizes Boston's role as a port city. A fun detail is that each listing also includes a small etching of the ship mentioned! Beginning on the front page and continuing onto the interior pages are international and domestic news, with a heading reading "The foreign news in this day's Mercury will well reward an attentive person. The domestic news is all interesting." The last page is full advertisements, similar to the classified section of modern newspapers, along with a few marriage and death notices. The advertisements provide a glimpse into life in Boston at the end of the 18th century, letting us read first-hand about the types of goods and services that were offered. I've included an image below of an advertisement for watches and other jewelry.  

I like this listing because the address is 51 Newbury Street; in modern Boston, Newbury Street is known for its designer boutiques and elegant shopping, and would likely be your destination if you were looking for a fancy watch or jewelry.  But Newbury Street is part of Back Bay, which wasn't created until the 1860s. A little searching on the history of Boston streets revealed that in the 1700s, Newbury Street existed as part of what we now know of as Washington Street in the Downtown Crossing area of Boston. So even though it is not the same Newbury Street that exists today, it coincidentally would have still been the spot to visit if you were looking for fancy goods. 

As the Library’s Preservation Librarian, I love sharing items from our colonial newspaper collection as part of our outreach program, in part because they are often in remarkable condition given their age. Tour participants and social media followers are surprised to see items that are over two hundred years old in better condition than the 2004 Boston Globe that they saved to commemorate the Red Sox winning the World Series! We keep our newspapers in dark storage with controlled temperate and humidity, but the largest factor to their stable condition is that colonial newspapers were made of rag paper. Colonial paper was made from made from linen and cotton fibers or rags and is much more durable and stable than paper made from wood pulp and it doesn't become brittle or yellowed with age. It wasn’t a quick process, which is maybe why newspapers were only printed every three or four weeks!

Visit us throughout June to see The Massachusetts Mercury on display in our main reading room, and check out the full list of historical newspapers available in Special Collections here. 

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

On Display in the State Library

One of the earliest incidents of the Revolutionary War was the Boston Massacre, which occurred in front of the Old State House on March 5, 1770. As we approach that anniversary, we’re sharing two items from our collection related to the incident: an account published in the March 12, 1770 edition of the Boston Gazette and Country Journal and a 1970 restrike of Paul Revere’s engraving The Bloody Massacre perpetrated in King Street, Boston, March 5, 1770, by a party of the 29th Regiment.

In the winter of 1770, tensions were high in Boston. British troops had been stationed there since 1768 to enforce Parliamentary legislation, and in late February an eleven-year-old named Christopher Seider had been killed by a British customs officer during a protest. On the night of March 5, a group of Bostonians gathered in front of the Old State House where a member of the British 29th Regiment of Foot was standing sentry. The group verbally assaulted the soldier and the incident escalated. Additional soldiers were called the scene as the number of participants grew to between 300 and 400. The crowd grew more agitated and rowdier, and shots were fired by the British soldiers. In the end, five individuals died; Crispus Attucks, Samuel Grey, and James Caldwell at the scene, and Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr from their injuries in the days that followed. The event turned public sentiment even further against King George and British rule, and in describing the day, John Adams wrote that the "foundation of American independence was laid."

The March 12, 1770 edition of the Boston Gazette and Country Journal included a description of the incident. The Boston Gazette was an influential colonial newspaper published by John Gill and Benjamin Edes. Printed weekly, it shared news from abroad as well as from within the colonies, and its patriot-leaning content was critical of British rule. The State Library holds a run of the newspaper, including the March 12 edition which was the first printed account of the massacre and comprised four columns across two pages. The account covers not just the event of March 5, but also provides a description of the days that followed up to the victims’ funeral on March 8. The funeral account describes a large procession that moved through the city from Faneuil Hall to the Granary Burying Ground, and stated that “on this occasion most of the shops in town were shut, all the bells were ordered to toll a solemn peal, as were also those in the neighboring towns of Charlestown, Roxbury, etc.”

Immediately following the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere engraved a print known of as The Bloody Massacre that went on to become an iconic representation of the incident. It takes a patriotic view, by placing the victims of the massacre in the foreground and including the sign “Butchers Hall” above the British soldiers. The print was then printed by Boston Gazette publishers Edes and Gill, and garnered further support for the patriotic cause while moving public sentiment away from the crown. Only around twenty-five copies of Revere’s print are still in existence, but his original engraving copperplate is part of the collection at the Massachusetts State Archives. In 1970, the Imprint Society of Barre, Massachusetts requested that restrikes be taken from the original plate, and after consultation with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, it was determined that a limited number of restrikes could be produced without damaging the plate. The result was a beautiful publication that included the restrike as well as a reprint of the account from the Boston Gazette. A limited number of these commemorative publications are in existence, and the State Library was gifted one from the President of the Imprint Society in 1972.

Visit the library throughout March to see the Boston Gazette article exhibited alongside the 1970 restrike of Paul Revere’s Bloody Massacre print. These two items together provide a vivid contemporaneous account of a key moment in our nation’s formation. And to read more about the Boston Massacre, check out The Boston Massacre: A Family History by Serena Zabin.

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian