Judith Sargent Murray

Terry Novak (Johnson and Wales University)

Ed. by Emory Elliott, University of California, Riverside
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.2: American (US) Writing and Culture: The Nineteenth Century, 1783-1900.
Vol. editors: J. Michael Duvall (College of Charleston), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Tony Papanikolas (San Jose State University)

Dates

Born 5 May 1751
Died 9 Jun 1820
Activity 1784-1816

Places

Born in United States
Active in United States

Cultural Identities

Feminist

Activities

Primary

Essayist

Other

Man/ Woman of Letters

Resources

Murray's Works

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Judith Sargent Murray was born on May 5, 1751 in Gloucester, Massachusetts to Winthrop Sargent, a merchant, and Judith Sanders Sargent. The Sargent family was a member of the upper class; Judith and her siblings were fifth generation Americans. Judith Sargent Murray was given a basic education in reading, writing, and domestic arts, as was the custom of her class and day; Judith, however, wanted to learn more than the basics. She availed herself of the family library and successfully educated herself. Judith Sargent married John Stevens in 1769. The loveless but satisfactory marriage lasted 18 years, until Stevens's death. A year later, in 1788, Judith married the widower John Murray, a Universalist minister with whom she had been friends for some time. This marriage produced a daughter,…

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334 words

Citation: Novak, Terry. "Judith Sargent Murray". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 January 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3269, accessed 21 November 2024.]