Author: Haswell, Anthony
Biography:
Haswell, Anthony (1756-1816: WBIS)
The son of William and Elizabeth Haswell, he was born in Portsmouth, England. With his father and brother he arrived in Boston at the end of 1769 or beginning of 1770 and was apprenticed to a potter. Some songs that he contributed to the revolutionary effort led to his being let go by his master and apprenticed to a printer instead. He served in the revolutionary army in 1776-7. After the war Haswell worked as a printer and was involved as editor or publisher with several newspapers. By his first marriage, to Lydia Baldwin (1759-99) whom he married in 1778, he had ten children; by the second marriage in 1799 to Betsey Rice (d 1815), seven more. In 1783 he moved to Bennington VT where he remained for the rest of his life. He established a monthly miscellany, the Vermont Gazette, which was carried on by his sons after his death. In all he published more than 200 books and pamphlets, including anthologies of prose and verse and educational compilations. (DAB)