General Notes

[Joanne's Tree.1 GED.GED]

2  PLAC 969
2  SOUR S332582
3  DATA
4  TEXT Date of Import: 14 Jan 2004


[daveanthes.FTW]

Benjamin Thompson youngest son of Rev William Thompson was a poet, schoolmaster, and physician. When he was 6 months old his Mother Abigail died, and he was taken into the home of  Thomas Blanchard, at age 20 he graduated Harvard college in 1662.  He was known as the first native-born poet, writing about cultures and subjects of this country. He had never known England, so his writings do not reflect on England, but on the only land he knew New England.
He succeeded Robert Woodmansey as master of the "free school" now the Boston Latin School.  The Latin school is an exclusive school in Boston today.  He was replaced in January 1670/71 by Ezekial
Cheever.  He then taught in Charlestown until 11/7/1674.  In 1679 He taught in Braintree , and then he taught in Braintree until 1699.  Then he taught in Roxbury at the Roxbury Latin School for 4 years when he returned to Braintree in1704 until 1710.  He had poems published prior to his death.  He attained distinction among his New England contemporaries.
It is only as a verse writer that Benjamin is remembered, and it is only among his New England contemporaries that he has distinction.  He handled couplets competently and is at his best in satire, but his work lacks any truly poetic quality.  Her displays signs of literary training and a constant effort to the literary fashions of his time.  His writing is of interest because it represents the cultivated standard of achievement in verse in New England in the late seventeenth century, and particularly because it concerns itself specifically for the most part with native material, Indian wars,  Puritan and other standards of his time.. Subject rather than style makes his verse a minor landmark in American literary history.  As a writer of historical narratives, elegies, and tributes to friends and dignitaries, Benjamin Tompson's reputation as first Colonial bard is deserved and secure.  He died and is buried in Roxbury, MA, under a tombstone commemorating him as "Learned Schoolmaster & Physician, and the Renowned Poet of New England."

Graduated Harvard College 1662  died leaving 8 children and 28 grandchildren. Specimens of his poetry may be found in the First Edition of Hubbard's Indian Wars, and in the Magnalia.

He was raised by Thomas Blanchard and his third wife after his Mother Abigail died in 1643, he was a baby when his mother died.