July 31, 2020
Written and Edited by Les Conklin
At a time when women were not encouraged to write, Bradstreet became the 1st female poet to be published in the New World.
In 1647 Anne Dudley Bradstreet’s brother-in-law, Rev. John Woodbridge, sailed to England, carrying her manuscript of poetry without her knowledge. Anne’s first work was published in London as “The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up into America, by a Gentlewoman in such Parts.” Evidently, the purpose of the publication of her work in England was an attempt by devout Puritan men (i.e. Thomas Dudley, Simon Bradstreet, John Woodbridge) to show that a godly and educated woman could elevate the position held by a wife and mother, without necessarily placing her in competition with men.
Anne Bradstreet (c. 1612 – September 16, 1672) was a writer and the first notable American poet. She was the first woman to be published in Colonial America. As a result of Woodbridge’s trip, Anne also became the first Colonial American woman to have her work published in England.
Much of her poetry is based on observation of the world around her, focusing heavily on domestic and religious themes. Long considered primarily of historical interest, she won critical acceptance in the 20th century as a writer of enduring verse, particularly for her sequence of religious poems. Bradstreet’s education allowed her to write with authority about politics, history, medicine, and theology. Her personal library of books was said to have numbered over 800. One example of her work appears below.
Excerpt from “Contemplations”
“Contemplations” was written for her family and not published until the mid-19th century. said to be the finest of Anne’s poems. Relax and enjoy the excerpt from verse written almost 400 years ago.
“Sometimes now past in the autumnal tide,
When Phoebus wanted but hour to bed,
Were gilded O’er by his rich golden head.
Their leaves and fruits seemed painted, but was true
of green, of red, of yellow, mixed hue,
Rapt were my senses at this delectable view
I wist not what to wish, yet sure, thought I
If so much excellence abide below,
How excellent is He that dwells on high,
Whose power and beauty by His works we know,
Sure He is goodness, wisdom, glory, light,
That hath this underworld so rightly sight,
More Heaven than Earth was her, no winter & no night.”
Life in England
Thomas Dudley, Anne’s Father.
In 1612, She was born Anne Dudley in Northampton, England. She was the daughter of Thomas Dudley, a steward of the Earl of Lincoln, and Dorothy Yorke. Due to her family’s position she grew up in cultured circumstances and was an unusually well-educated woman for her time, being tutored in history, several languages, and literature. At the age of sixteen she married Simon Bradstreet. Both Anne’s father and husband were later to serve as governors of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Anne and Simon, along with Anne’s parents, immigrated to America aboard the Arbella as part of the Winthrop Fleet of Puritan emigrants in 1630.
The Journey
It was a difficult three-month journey. Many of her fellow shipmates perished, unable to survive the harsh climate, poor living conditions and bouts of scurvy. Anne was ill-prepared for such rigorous travel and found the journey very difficult. The migrants’ trials and tribulations did not end upon their arrival, however, as many of the survivors died shortly thereafter or elected to return to England.
Anne Bradstreet first touched American soil on June 14, 1630 at what is now Pioneer Village (Salem, Massachusetts).Their stay was very brief due to the illness and starvation of Gov. John Endecott and other residents of the village. Most moved immediately south along the coast to Charlestown, Massachusetts for another short stay before moving south along the Charles River to found “the City on the Hill,” Boston, Massachusetts. The Bradstreet family soon moved again, this time to what is now Cambridge, Massachusetts. IThomas Dudley and his sometimes friend and erstwhile rival John Winthrop made up the Boston settlement’s government: Winthrop was Governor, Dudley Deputy-Governor and Simon Bradstreet Chief-Administrator.
Simon Bradstreet, Anne’s Husband.
Life in the Colony
Having previously been afflicted with smallpox, Anne would once again fall prey to illness as paralysis took over her joints, She did not let her predicament dim her passion for living, and creating a home and family with her husband. Despite her poor health, she had eight children and achieved a comfortable social standing. Her husband, who became the governor of the colony, was frequently away from hom, and Anne used some of that lonely time to write verses. She wrote a lot of verses.
In the early 1640s, Simon and Anne, who was pregnant with her sixth child, move for the sixth time, from Ipswich to Andover Parish. North Andover is that original town founded in 1646 by the Bradstreet families among others. Anne and her family resided in the Old Center of North Andover. They never lived in what is now known as “Andover” to the south. The Bradstreet’s home was destroyed by a fire on July 10, 1666. The fire left the family homeless and devoid of personal belongings for a time. The fire inspired a poem entitled “Upon the Burning of Our House July 10th, 1666.” Her verses reject the anger and grief that this worldly tragedy has caused her and instead looks toward God and the assurance of heaven as consolation, saying:
“And when I could no longer look, I blest his grace that gave and took, That laid my goods now in the dust. Yea, so it was, and so ’twas just. It was his own; it was not mine. Far be it that I should repine.”
Anne Bradstreet died on September 16, 1672, in Andover, Massachusetts, at the age of 60. The precise location of her grave is uncertain as she may either have been buried next to her husband in “the Old Burying Point” in Salem, Massachusetts, or in “the Old Burying Ground” on Academy Road in North Andover, Massachusetts.
Both Anne’s father and her husband were instrumental in the founding of Harvard in 1636. Two of her sons were graduates, Samuel (Class of 1653) and Simon (Class of 1660). In October 1997, the Harvard community dedicated a gate in memory of America’s first published poet. Also, there is a marker in the North Andover cemetery commemorates the 350th anniversary (2000) of the publishing of “The Tenth Muse” in London in 1650.
Editorial Notes. Anne’s husband was a well educated, energetic and far-sighted Puritan man. He invested in land and new communities, which explains the family’s involvement in living in start-up villages, such as Cambridge, Ipswitch and Andover. Given her health issues and the size of her family these moves must have been challenging for Anne. No doubt it helped that the family owned two slaves, a mother and her daughter (not unusual for well-to-do families in Colonial America.
This article is based on a variety of biographies, including those in Ancestry.com and Wikipedia.
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