Author: Somerville, John S.
Biography:
SOMERVILLE, John S. (fl 1820-27)
There is very little documentary evidence about Somerville, who worked as a tutor or schoolmaster in Washington DC and later in and around Nashville TN. He had been a tutor in the Washington household of President James Monroe, whose youngest child Maria Hester married, aged 16, in 1820. Monroe recommended him to Andrew Jackson, who was a member of the board of trustees of Cumberland College, a boys' school in Nashville, where Somerville was duly appointed professor of languages in 1821. The Classical Sun carries a dedication to Jackson on the title-page. (The school went through various incarnations and became the University of Nashville from 1826 to 1909.) Later he is said to have taught in other counties in Tennessee. The year and place of his death are not known. (Andrew Jackson et al., The Papers of Andrew Jackson: 1821-1824 [1980]; "University of Nashville," Wikipedia 4 Oct. 2020)
Other Names:
- J. S. Somerville