Henry David Thoreau - Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, MA
Posted by: Groundspeak Charter Member neoc1
N 42° 27.886 W 071° 20.545
19T E 307419 N 4704039
On top of Author's Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is the family plot and grave of Henry David Thoreau. He is buried near the graves of of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Waymark Code: WMN1VQ
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 12/09/2014
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Marine Biologist
Views: 6

Author, poet, philosopher and amateur scientist Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, MA to John Thoreau and Cynthia Dunbar. He was the third of four children. He attended Harvard College in Boston between 1833 and 1837 before returning to Concord. Together with is older brother John he open the Concord Academy grammar school n 1838. The school closed after his brother died of tetanus in 1842.

On July 4, 1845 he began a two-year experiment is simple living in the woods in a rustic cabin at Walden Pond in Concord. His experience was the basis for his most famous work: Walden; or, Life in the Woods. A series of essays in which he delineated his philosophy, illustrates the benefits of a simplified lifestyle, observes and documents the geography and wildlife of Walden Pond, and criticizes conformity in society.

Politically, Thoreau was an abolitionist and outspoken critic of unjust government. His beliefs were published in his famous essay Resistance to Civil Government (Civil Disobedience) and his poem in May 1849. His philosophy influenced a wide range of leaders from Political leaders and reformers like Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thoreau died on May 6, 1862 at age 44 from the respiratory illness caused by the long term effects of tuberculosis and bronchitis. He is buried Author's Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, MA.

Author's Ridge contains the graves of the four elite members of the Boston literary world of the 19th century. In sequential order you will find the family plots, including the graves, of these four famous contemporary authors: Henry David Thoreau ( July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862), Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864), Louisa May Alcott (November 29, 1832 – March 6, 1888), and Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882). The Thoreau, Hawthorne and Alcott graves are clustered together while a sign points to the grave of Emerson a short distance east along the ridge.

Henry David Thoreau is buried in a large family plot. The plot has a large family headstone with THOREAU inscribed on the base and the names and dates of birth and death of his father, John Thoreau, mother Cynthia D., older brother John Thoreau Jr., older sister Helen L. Thoreau, Henry D. Thoreau, and younger sister Sophia E. Thoreau. The family marker is has two surrounded by two rows of small headstones inscribed: (first row) Father, Mother, John Jr. and (second row) Henry, Sophia, Helen.

Wikipedia list the following works by Henry David Thoreau:

Aulus Persius Flaccus (1840)
The Service (1840)
A Walk to Wachusett (1842)
Paradise (to be) Regained (1843)
The Landlord (1843)
Sir Walter Raleigh (1844)
Herald of Freedom (1844)
Wendell Phillips Before the Concord Lyceum (1845)
Thomas Carlyle and His Works (1847)
A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (1849)
Resistance to Civil Government, or Civil Disobedience (1849)
An Excursion to Canada (1853)
Slavery in Massachusetts (1854)
Walden (1854)A Fully Annotated Edition. Jeffrey S. Cramer, ed., Yale University Press, 2004
A Plea for Captain John Brown (1859)
Remarks After the Hanging of John Brown (1859)
The Last Days of John Brown (1860)
The Fall of the Leaf
Walking (1861)
Autumnal Tints (1862)
Wild Apples: The History of the Apple Tree (1862)
Excursions (1863)
Life Without Principle (1863)
Night and Moonlight (1863)
The Highland Light
The Maine Woods (1864)Fully Annotated Edition. Jeffrey S. Cramer, ed., Yale University Press, 2009
Cape Cod (1865)
Letters to Various Persons (1865)
A Yankee in Canada, with Anti-Slavery and Reform Papers (1866)
Early Spring in Massachusetts (1881)
Summer (1884)
Winter (1888)
Autumn (1892)
Miscellanies (1894)
Familiar Letters of Henry David Thoreau (1894)
Poems of Nature (1895)
Some Unpublished Letters of Henry D. and Sophia E. Thoreau (1898)
The First and Last Journeys of Thoreau (1905)
Journal of Henry David Thoreau (1906)
The Correspondence of Henry David Thoreau edited by Walter Harding and Carl Bode (Washington Square: New York University Press, 1958)
Poets of the English Language (Viking Press, 1950)
I Was Made Erect and Lone
The Bluebird Carries the Sky on His Back (Stanyan, 1970)
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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