Born on July 4, 1804, in Salem Massachusetts, Hawthorne’s life was steeped in the Puritan legacy. An early ancestor, William Hathorne, first emigrated from England to America in 1630 and settled in Salem, Massachusetts, where he became a judge known for his harsh sentencing. William’s son, John Hathorne, was one of three judges during the Salem Witch Trials in the 1690s. That is why Hawthorne later added a “w” to his name to distance himself from this dreadful side of the family.
Hawthorne was the only son of mother Elizabeth and father Nathaniel, a sea captain, who died in 1808 of yellow fever while at sea. The family was left with meager financial support and moved in with Elizabeth’s wealthy brothers. An interesting moment is that because of the leg injury at an early age Hawthorne was left immobile for several months during which he developed a voracious appetite for reading and set his sights on becoming a writer.…
