Talk:Amos Bronson Alcott/Archive 1

Sections

Someone who knows more about Mr. Alcott should try breaking this into sections so it's a little easier to navigate. By the way, is he one of the Alcotts buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord? -Midnightdreary 18:24, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

More information needed

This is a nice article on Alcott, as far as it goes. It should at least mention the fact that for all his high-flown ideals and dedication to learning Bronson Alcott was unable to hold a job that would even come close to supporting his family- they went through frequent periods of near starvation until the load was lightened by the elder daughter marrying , two younger daughters dying and by Louisa's writing bringing in a dependable income.Saxophobia (talk) 23:24, 28 December 2009 (UTC)

The whole article is definitely in its infancy. I hope to work on it soon but let's not overhype the "bad father figure" bullcrap. He was an incredible man, an otherworldly thinker... he just wasn't grounded. Materialism, self-sustenance... too beneath him, to the point of detriment. --Midnightdreary (talk) 17:39, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Chronology problem

There's a chronology problem with birthdates of the children. The text says in one place "...their first child, a daughter they named Anna Bronson Alcott, was born on March 16, 1831," and in the next paragraph, "The couple's only son was born on April 6, 1831, but lived only a few minutes." That doesn't work, so one of those dates is wrong. Probably the date of the birth of the son, because I'm currently reading a biography of Louisa May Alcott, and my recollection is that the son was born AFTER the first three daughters, and after two or three subsequent miscarriages. Maybe the year of his birth is supposed to be 1837, but I'll check my book and see if I can fix that part of the text. 64.83.4.35 (talk) 07:44, 28 January 2011 (UTC)

I forgot that I wasn't logged in when I posted the above. I remembered I had an additional reference besides the current biography that I am reading, and that one confirms that the son was born in 1839, not 1831. (The other doesn't give an exact date, but it is mentioned in the context of other events of 1839.) I'll work on re-ordering the text to fit the proper chronology.LBourne (talk) 09:10, 29 January 2011 (UTC)

Criticism

It is not just modern critics who fault Alcott for his inability to support his family. Richard Francis in his recent Fruitlands: The Alcott Family and their Search for Utopia points out that Emerson refers to Alcott in at least one publication as Plato Skimpole. Everybody got to be somewhere! (talk) 17:38, 13 February 2011 (UTC)

I'm having trouble seeing where it says that only modern critics make that observation. Your info from Emerson is a good one; do you have a reliable source on it? --Midnightdreary (talk) 18:01, 13 February 2011 (UTC)

Typos

There is a typo in the 8th sentence under "Early Career and Marriage". The sentence begins: "Many students left and were enrolled the local common school"... and should read "Many students left and were enrolled in the local common school"... Also in "Experimental Educator", 9th sentence: "He even went so far as to decorate his schoolroom in the with visual elements he thought would inspire learning:".. should read "He even went so far as to decorate his schoolroom with visual elements which he thought would inspire learning:"..

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.121.28.16 (talk) 16:00, 26 May 2011 (UTC)

Great eye! You know you can make these changes yourself in the future - we'd love to have you join our editing community. --Midnightdreary (talk) 02:12, 27 May 2011 (UTC)

Question on death of Henry David Thoreau

So for the part here:

Henry David Thoreau died on May 6, 1862,¹¹¹ likely from an illness he caught from Alcott two years earlier.¹¹² Alcott assisted in arranging Thoreau's funeral in the church he had resigned, at Emerson's request.¹¹¹

Amos Bronson Alcott#Civil_War_years_and_beyond

It seems that the service was at First Parish Church in Concord, Massachusetts

First Parish Church

Thoreau Society

I'm not sure what it is saying exactly by "the church he had resigned, at Emerson's request."

Perhaps somebody has the reference and can see what it is saying in the book at that part:

• Schreiner, Samuel A., Jr. (2006). The Concord Quartet: Alcott, Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, and the Friendship That Freed the American Mind. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-471-64663-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Jjjjjjjjjj (talk) 05:54, 1 June 2012 (UTC)

It is possible that what it is saying is that Alcott had resigned from the First Parish Church just as for example Henry David Thoreau had resigned. So according to the web site a person could either choose to join the parish or to not do so.

"During the 19th century, those wanting to become members of the Parish affirmed their wish in writing, and those who chose not to do so also expressed their will in letter form. (The First Parish records include two famous examples of this practice — Henry David Thoreau's 1841 Jan. 6 sign-off from membership, and Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1865 April 30 affirmation of membership.)"

—First Parish in Concord Website (link)

Jjjjjjjjjj (talk) 23:50, 3 June 2012 (UTC)

Sorry for not responding sooner - I'm the one that added in the info. The Concord Quartet source worded that information strangely and I must have allowed it to taint the way I wrote it. You're correct: the resignation was Thoreau's, and Alcott was requested to handle the arrangements by Emerson. Any suggestions for wording this more clearly? --Midnightdreary (talk) 09:31, 4 June 2012 (UTC)

Okay, thanks for maintaining this article. I found it interesting to read. Take a look at how that part is written now, and feel free to comment. Jjjjjjjjjj (talk) 03:30, 11 June 2012 (UTC)

Okay, I see that you added that "At Emerson's request". This is the exact quote from Schreiner:

"Henry David Thoreau slipped away from his first world peacefully on the morning of May 6, 1862. He was only forty-four. Alcott bustled around making arrangements for a funeral in the church from which Thoreau had resigned at Emerson's insistence and interment in the New Burying Ground, from which his body would later be removed to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery."

Samuel A. Schreiner Jr.. The Concord Quartet: Alcott, Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau and the Friendship That Freed the American Mind (Kindle Locations 2480-2482). Kindle Edition.

It wasn't clear to when I read that what Emerson's role was, and precisely what he insisted on:

1. That Alcott arrange the funeral

2. That the funeral be held at First Concord Sanctuary.

3. That the interment be in the New Burying Ground.

Was it all of these, some of them, only one, etc.?

It seems that the way it is worded now it is saying that perhaps Emerson just requested that Alcott handle the arrangements. Would Thoreau have wanted his funeral to be at First Parish? Although I've read things here and there related to Thoreau, Alcott, Emerson, Hawthorne, etc. I'm by no means a scholar on any of those four people. I would have to assume that Thoreau did not express specific wishes on his funeral and burial, and so his friends then made arrangements for him after his death. My understanding from reading Schreiner and the Thoreau article is that his body was later disinterred and moved to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

I don't know if it is relevant or not, but on the First Parish web site it mentions that Thoreau did some surveying for land that the church has. I don't know if Thoreau was then working for the church in that capacity in 1851. Jjjjjjjjjj (talk) 19:43, 11 June 2012 (UTC)

And actually in that link talking about the history of First Parish church it does say that Thoreau worked for the church:

"In addition to the meetinghouse and the land it occupies on Lexington Road, the church owns or has owned other real estate in the area, including: properties on the Church Green; the Wright Tavern; woodlots originally used for ministerial purposes (one of which was surveyed by Henry David Thoreau for the First Parish, the original 1851 manuscript survey for it forming part of the First Parish records); and the Stow House (92 Walden Street; used as the First Parish parsonage for much of the 20th century, and then sold)." (from the history of First Parish web site [1] )

Jjjjjjjjjj (talk) 20:00, 11 June 2012 (UTC)

[undenting] The way I've clarified it here is the way I'm aware of the incidents described. I'm not sure what Thoreau's land surveying (or burial, or the church's property) has to do with an article on Alcott. The reason his death and funeral is included here at all is because of the connection to Alcott. --Midnightdreary (talk) 00:33, 12 June 2012 (UTC)

WeRelate

A record for this person has been created in the WeRelate genealogical website. --User:Ceyockey (talk to me) 01:10, 10 February 2015 (UTC)

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