Author: Dolbeare, Benjamin
Biography:
DOLBEARE, Benjamin (1786-1854: ancestry.com)
When he published The Art of Courtship in Richmond VA in 1817, he was already "Doctor" Dolbeare, combining his medical practice with literary pursuits. The biographical notice "by a friend" in that volume is largely borne out by other histories, apart from the birthdate, which the "friend" gives as 1789. (The notice describes him as being "of a majestic appearance" and a favourite with the ladies; the author's own note following points out that the object of his amorous poetry is invariably marriage.) Born in Montville CT on 29 October. 1786, the son of a farmer, he rejected the farming life, attended Dartmouth (without taking a degree), and trained as a physician in Plainfield CT. He married Maria Jane (or Jane Maria) Marteney (1802-69) in 1824; they had a daughter and a son. They eventually settled in Clarksburg WV, where he owned and edited four short-lived newspapers in the 1840s. He died at Clarksburg on 7 June 1854. ("A few brief notices," The Art of Courtship; ancestry.com 21 Sept. 2018, 25 Aug. 2025) HJ