Author: Lamson, John
Biography:
LAMSON, John (1769-1813?: ancestry.com)
If "J. L.," the author of Poetical Precepts for children--two editions of which were published in New Hampshire in 1814-15--was indeed John Lamson as WorldCat indicates, the most likely candidate is a printer of that name. He ran a printing business in Exeter NH between 1786 and 1795, sometimes in partnership with others. In 1794-5 he also owned a bookstore; in 1795 he founded a short-lived periodical, the Weekly Visitor. He seems to have struggled after 1795, moving to Charlestown MA (now part of Boston) and working for others as a jobbing printer before finally moving back to Exeter. The second edition of Poetical Precepts, printed "for the author," is dated from Meredith Bridge NH. This much is certain. Personal biographical details are less so in the absence of reliable birth and death records. He is said to have married Sally Townsend about 1795 and to have had six children with her, two of whom died young. If the attribution and the provisional dates of birth and death are correct, however, both editions were posthumous. There were other John Lamsons in the area. The most promising is a potter 1785-1821, but there is no evidence of literary activity in his record. The possibility remains that J. L., "a friend to youth," has not yet been identified. (ancestry.com 26 Apr. 2021; findmypast.com 26 Apr. 2021; ESTC) HJ