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Capt. Nathaniel Morton (christened 161629 June 1685) was a
From December 1645 until his death, Morton was annually elected Secretary of Plymouth Colony, and most of the colony records are in his handwriting. His careful maintenance of the records enabled him to compile ''New England's Memorial'', considered the first comprehensive history of the colony, published at Cambridge in 1669 and widely considered the first book of history published in the United States. Much of ''Memorial'' was based on the history of the colony written by Morton's uncle, Gov. Bradford, a manuscript which was lost for many years following the
Capt. Nathaniel Morton (christened 161629 June 1685) was a Separatist
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seeking greate ...
settler of Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was, from 1620 to 1691, the first permanent English colony in New England and the second permanent English colony in North America, after the Jamestown Colony. It was first settled by the passengers on the ...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, where he served for most of his life as Plymouth's secretary under his uncle, Governor William Bradford. Morton wrote an account of the settlement of the Colony, the first historical text published in the United States, and was first to publish a list of signers of the Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact, originally titled Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth, was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the men aboard the ''Mayflower,'' consisting of separatist Puritans, adventurers, a ...
as well as an account of the first Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...
.
Biography
Nathaniel Morton the eldest son of George Morton (15851624) and his wife Juliana Carpenter (15841665). George Morton was one of the organizers of the Plymouth settlement, and widely considered the principal editor of '' Mourt's Relation'', an early account of the settlement designed to drum up interest in England. Morton's son Nathaniel was born in Leiden, Holland, during the time the Separatists lived there between their flight from England and their eventual migration to Plymouth Colony. The Morton family sailed for Plymouth on the ship Ann in 1623. After his father's untimely death, Nathaniel was taken into the household of his uncle William Bradford, then governor of Plymouth. Morton married Lydia Cooper (161523 Sep 1673) on 25 Dec 1635. They had nine children: Remember, Mercy, Hannah, Eleazer, Lydia, Nathaniel, a stillborn daughter, Elizabeth and Joanna. After the death of Lydia, Nathaniel married Anne Pritchard (ca. 162426 Dec 1691). Remember Morton, daughter of Nathaniel Morton, married Abraham Jackson of Plymouth, another initial proprietor of the colony. Their descendant Lydia Jackson became the second wife of philosopher, poet and TranscendentalistRalph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a cham ...
.
Colonial Secretary and Historian
From December 1645 until his death, Morton was annually elected Secretary of Plymouth Colony, and most of the colony records are in his handwriting. His careful maintenance of the records enabled him to compile ''New England's Memorial'', considered the first comprehensive history of the colony, published at Cambridge in 1669 and widely considered the first book of history published in the United States. Much of ''Memorial'' was based on the history of the colony written by Morton's uncle, Gov. Bradford, a manuscript which was lost for many years following the American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, when it was likely appropriated by an English soldier. It later turned up in the library of the Bishop of London
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
in 1855, and was returned to Massachusetts.
Morton also wrote ''First Beginnings and After Progress of the Church of Christ at Plymouth, in New England''.
Annually since 1961, ''The Wall Street Journal'' publishes an excerpt from Morton's history of Plymouth Colony as an op-ed the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day.
Morton was also the first to record the list of signers of the Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact, originally titled Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth, was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the men aboard the ''Mayflower,'' consisting of separatist Puritans, adventurers, a ...
in his work of 1669. The document itself was lost.
See also
* John RatcliffReferences
Further reading
* . * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Nathaniel 1615 births 1685 deaths English separatists English emigrants Immigrants to Plymouth Colony People from Leiden People of colonial Massachusetts Plymouth, Massachusetts People from Plymouth, Massachusetts American historians American diarists American male non-fiction writers