Author: Ray, William
Biography:
RAY, William (1771-1827: WBIS)
The fullest and most compelling account of Ray's life is the autobiography included in the 1821 volume, the main features of which can be confirmed from other sources. He was born into a large family in Salisbury CT. His parents, whose names are not recorded, could afford to give their children only "the common education"; nevertheless, William began getting himself into trouble with satirical poetry while still a teenager, and when he left home at 19 it was to teach school in upper New York State, where he spent most of the rest of his life. A business partnership of about 1792-1800 ended when his partner defaulted. By that time Ray had a wife and one child to provide for. He travelled to Philadelphia in 1803 in the hope of an editorial position, but when it fell through, he signed on as a crew member of the frigate Philadelphia. Finding he could write a good hand, the officers took him into their company. The ship ran aground and was captured off Tripoli in Oct. 1803, however, and all on board became slaves. On their release and return to the US nineteen months later, Ray wrote Horrors of Slavery: or, The American Tars in Tripoli (1808), and sent a copy to Thomas Jefferson, who praised it. A year later, Ray had to write to Jefferson again (from Amsterdam NY) begging for $100 to redeem 4000 copies of the book that were being held by the printer, explaining that he and his family were penniless. About this time his fortunes improved. He was made a JP in Essex County in 1809, served as quartermaster for a brigade of militia in 1812 and edited the Elizabethtown newspaper Reveille from 1812 to 1816, was founding editor of the Onondaga Gazette in 1816, and contributed poems to various periodicals. The Albany Register described him as "that favorite of genius and son of misfortune." In Onondaga he became a magistrate and court commissioner. He died in Auburn NY. (ancestry.com 24 Jul. 2020; "William Ray to Thomas Jefferson, 7 March 1809," Founders Online 24 Jul. 2020; Ray, Poems on Various Subjects [1821])