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Susanna Rowson, who founded one of the first female academies in Boston, is also remembered as a literary figure in early America. Her works include numerous novels, plays, poetry, lyrics, and textbooks for her Academy.
Susanna was born in England in 1762. The daughter of a British Naval officer, her mother died giving birth to her. Lt. Haswell was commissioned to the American colonies, and Susanna came to settle with the family in Nantasket (Hull), MA. Because of his British ties, Haswell's estate was confiscated during the American Revolution, and the family suffered great hardship. By 1778, they were forced to return to England.
While working as governess to the Duchess of Devonshire, Susanna published her first novel, Victoria, in 1786, with the Duchess as her patron. Her novel, Charlotte Temple, followed in 1791, and soon became the first "best seller" in America written by a woman.
At the age of twenty-four, Susanna married William Rowson, a hardware merchant and trumpeter in the Royal Horse Guards. Soon after their marriage, Rowson declared bankruptcy, which forced the couple to turn to the theater to support themselves. While touring Edinburgh and rural England, the couple signed a contract to appear at the Chestnut Street Theater in Philadelphia for the 1793 season; and three years later, they opened at the Federal Street Theater in Boston. During this time, Susanna Rowson wrote four plays which were produced on the Philadelphia and Boston stage.
In 1797, she left the theater world to found Mrs. Rowson's Academy for Young Ladies in downtown Boston. The Rowson Academy offered academic training and refinements to the daughters of 'middling' class families. As enrollment grew, the school moved to Medford, to Newton, and then back to Boston as students came from throughout New England and as far away as South Carolina, Bermuda, Canada, and Great Britain. While running the Academy, Susanna continued her diverse literary pursuits, from writing poems, lyrics, and textbooks for the Academy, as well as serving as the first woman editor of The Boston Weekly Magazine from 1802-1805.
Mrs. Rowson's Female Academy began on Federal Street, Boston, in November 1797. It moved to High Street in Medford (1800-1803); to Nonantum Corner in Newton (1803-1807), then to Washington Street in Boston's newly-developed neighborhood in the South End, before settling on Hollis Street in 1809. Rowson remained as head preceptress until 1822, at which time the school was willed to her niece and an adopted daughter.
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