Author: Cheever, Ezekiel
Biography:
CHEEVER, Ezekiel, formerly Ezekiel Cheever Whitman (1783-1862: S&W)
Cheever leaves a detailed account of the first fifty years or so of his life in Sketches of His Life and Poetic Effusions (1835), including a litany of ailments that makes it remarkable that he lived as long as he did. His father Samuel Whitman was a pastor in the Congregational Church, settled in Goshen MA from 1788; he married Grace Cheever and they had several children. Ezekiel did some teaching and tutoring, and in 1811 was himself licensed to preach. After the death of his parents, he changed his name by law. He seems always to have lived in poverty, moving from one job to another and often relying on the charity of church members and family. He became a Baptist about 1830. His later publications include a Latin grammar and discourses preached to Baptist congregations. He died in Williamsburg MA and was buried in Goshen. (Cheever, Sketches; ancestry.com 7 March 2018) HJ