Jeremy Belknap
Encyclopedia
Jeremy Belknap was an American
clergyman and historian. His great achievement was the "History of New Hampshire", published in three volumes between 1784 and 1792. This work is the first modern history written by an American, embodying a new rigor in research, annotation, and reporting.
Jeremy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of a tanner. His uncle was Mather Byles
, one of New England's intellectual leaders. Belknap was baptized by the historian Thomas Prince
, another leading figure of 18th century New England. He was educated at the Boston Latin School
and Harvard College
, where he graduated in 1762. In 1764 he moved to Portsmouth (NH), where he "kept the school" and studied theology with Samuel Haven (Harvard College Class of 1749). In 1767 he began his ministry in Dover, New Hampshire
, where he would spend twenty years at the Congregational Church. He also married that year, and acquired a house in Dover.
After the Battle of Lexington in 1775 some units of the Dover militia
were called out to support the Siege of Boston
. Belknap accompanied them, and remained through the next winter as chaplain to the New Hampshire troops involved with the siege.
Belknap County, New Hampshire
is named in his honor.
named him as America's best native historian.
The History represented a new approach in its field. Besides just narrating events, he added two innovations. He tried to clearly separate facts from analysis and opinion, and he provided many annotations to show the source and location of records that he had inspected.
in 1779. This effort caused him to begin corresponding with many of the leading men of letters, politics, and religion throughout the colonies. He would eventually publish his "American Biographies" in two volumes in 1794 and 1798. In the meantime, his efforts brought him to the attention of these intellectual leaders across the country.
Belknap was elected to the American Philosophical Society
in 1784. In 1785 he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
. This latter association also resulted in an offer to return to Boston.
. He would serve there until his death. He remained active in research, writing, and promoting American history as a field.
He continued his quest into history, seeking ways to report and preserve historic sources. On January 24, 1791, he invited nine friends with similar interests to meet at his home. They agreed to help build a repository for these records. The meeting resulted in the Massachusetts Historical Society
, which was the first Historical Society
and served as a prototype for many later ones. They also pledged to contribute family papers. John Eliot, a fourth-generation descendent of the 17th c. "Apostle to the Indians," and himself a minister, added Governor Thomas Hutchinson's manuscript for the History of Massachusetts Bay
, which his father Andrew Eliot had saved during the revolution when a mob looted the governor's home.
In 1792 Belknap published his "An Historical Account of those persons who have been distinguished in America", which was the first of a distinguished line of Dictionaries of American Biography. That same year, he became one of the overseers of Harvard University.
Belknap died in Boston and was buried at The Granary Burial Ground. His remains were later re-interred in the Mount Auburn Cemetery
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
He is credited with coining the phrase "Old habits die hard".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
clergyman and historian. His great achievement was the "History of New Hampshire", published in three volumes between 1784 and 1792. This work is the first modern history written by an American, embodying a new rigor in research, annotation, and reporting.
Jeremy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of a tanner. His uncle was Mather Byles
Mather Byles
Mather Byles , was a clergyman active in British North America.He was descended, on his mother's side, from John Cotton and Richard Mather. He graduated at Harvard University in 1725, and in 1733 became pastor of the Hollis Street Church , Boston...
, one of New England's intellectual leaders. Belknap was baptized by the historian Thomas Prince
Thomas Prince
Thomas Prince was an American clergyman, scholar and historian noted for his historical text A Chronological History of New England, in the Form of Annals...
, another leading figure of 18th century New England. He was educated at the Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States....
and Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
, where he graduated in 1762. In 1764 he moved to Portsmouth (NH), where he "kept the school" and studied theology with Samuel Haven (Harvard College Class of 1749). In 1767 he began his ministry in Dover, New Hampshire
Dover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
, where he would spend twenty years at the Congregational Church. He also married that year, and acquired a house in Dover.
After the Battle of Lexington in 1775 some units of the Dover militia
New Hampshire Militia
The New Hampshire Militia was first organized in March 1680, by New Hampshire Colonial President John Cutt. The King of England authorized the Provincial President to give commissions to persons who shall be best qualified for regulating and discipline of the militia. President Cutt placed Major...
were called out to support the Siege of Boston
Siege of Boston
The Siege of Boston was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War, in which New England militiamen—who later became part of the Continental Army—surrounded the town of Boston, Massachusetts, to prevent movement by the British Army garrisoned within...
. Belknap accompanied them, and remained through the next winter as chaplain to the New Hampshire troops involved with the siege.
Belknap County, New Hampshire
Belknap County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 56,325 people, 22,459 households, and 15,496 families residing in the county. The population density was 140 people per square mile . There were 32,121 housing units at an average density of 80 per square mile...
is named in his honor.
History of New Hampshire
Besides attending to his growing congregation, Belknap served as a secretary to the convention of New Hampshire ministers from 1769 until 1787. This position required travel throughout the state, and he used it as a chance to begin accumulating notes on the history of New Hampshire. In 1772 he began to write his history. In 1784 he published the first volume of the "History of New Hampshire", but it would take until 1792 to complete the work. The work was not successful at first, but its reputation grew over the years until, after his death, Alexis de TocquevilleAlexis de Tocqueville
Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville was a French political thinker and historian best known for his Democracy in America and The Old Regime and the Revolution . In both of these works, he explored the effects of the rising equality of social conditions on the individual and the state in...
named him as America's best native historian.
The History represented a new approach in its field. Besides just narrating events, he added two innovations. He tried to clearly separate facts from analysis and opinion, and he provided many annotations to show the source and location of records that he had inspected.
Recognition
Besides his History, Belknap began work on an American biographical dictionaryBiographical dictionary
Biographical dictionaries – a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information – have been written in many languages. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country...
in 1779. This effort caused him to begin corresponding with many of the leading men of letters, politics, and religion throughout the colonies. He would eventually publish his "American Biographies" in two volumes in 1794 and 1798. In the meantime, his efforts brought him to the attention of these intellectual leaders across the country.
Belknap was elected to the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
in 1784. In 1785 he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. This latter association also resulted in an offer to return to Boston.
Massachusetts career
Belknap accepted a new position in 1787, when he moved back to Boston to become pastor of the Federal Street ChurchFederal Street Church (Boston)
The Federal Street Church was a congregational unitarian church in Boston, Massachusetts. Organized in 1727, the presbyterian congregation changed in 1786 to Congregationalism, then adopted the liberal theology of its fifth Senior Minister, William Ellery Channing. For most of the 18th-century the...
. He would serve there until his death. He remained active in research, writing, and promoting American history as a field.
He continued his quest into history, seeking ways to report and preserve historic sources. On January 24, 1791, he invited nine friends with similar interests to meet at his home. They agreed to help build a repository for these records. The meeting resulted in the Massachusetts Historical Society
Massachusetts Historical Society
The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history...
, which was the first Historical Society
Historical society
A historical society is an organization that collects, researches, interprets and preserves information or items of historical interest. Generally, a historical society focuses on a specific geographical area, such as a county or town or subject, such as aviation or rail. Many historical...
and served as a prototype for many later ones. They also pledged to contribute family papers. John Eliot, a fourth-generation descendent of the 17th c. "Apostle to the Indians," and himself a minister, added Governor Thomas Hutchinson's manuscript for the History of Massachusetts Bay
Massachusetts Bay
The Massachusetts Bay, also called Mass Bay, is one of the largest bays of the Atlantic Ocean which forms the distinctive shape of the coastline of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Its waters extend 65 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Massachusetts Bay includes the Boston Harbor, Dorchester Bay,...
, which his father Andrew Eliot had saved during the revolution when a mob looted the governor's home.
In 1792 Belknap published his "An Historical Account of those persons who have been distinguished in America", which was the first of a distinguished line of Dictionaries of American Biography. That same year, he became one of the overseers of Harvard University.
Belknap died in Boston and was buried at The Granary Burial Ground. His remains were later re-interred in the Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, 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...
.
He is credited with coining the phrase "Old habits die hard".