biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne
On July 4, 1804, Nathaniel Hathorne was born in the cold puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. His Father, a sea merchant, died of Yellow fever on his journey to Surinam when Nathaniel was only four years old. Hawthorne came from a background of sea fearing men, and this intrigued Nathaniel, but he never thought of living a seaman’s life. Nathaniel grew up in Salem, which at the time was a harsh, puritan, seaport town. ... These influences are easily seen in Nathaniel’s dark, mysterious tone in works like “Wives of the dead.” (Turner, 5) Nathaniel discovered he was related to one of the judges of the Salem witch trials named Hathorne. In shame he changed the spelling of his name to “Hawthorne.” Nathaniel lived in a household of all women: his mother, grandmother, two sisters, and two unmarried aunts.