Jerome Bonaparte Holgate (October 7, 1812 – April 7, 1893) is an American author and

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their Lineage (anthropology), lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family ...

who wrote the

dystopia A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...

n novel ''

A Sojourn in the City of Amalgamation ''A Sojourn in the City of Amalgamation, in the Year of Our Lord, 19--'' is a dystopian novel written by Jerome B. Holgate under the pseudonym Oliver Bolokitten. It was self-published by the author in New York in February 1835. The novel critici ...

'' (1835). He was the author of another novel, ''Noachidæ: Or, Noah and His Descendants'' (1860).

Biography

Jerome Bonaparte Holgate was born in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

on October 7, 1812. He lived in Utica, New York by his 20s. In 1833, he participated in Utica Literary Club debates on colonization (sending enslaved black people back to Africa) versus immediate freeing of the slaves, where he favored colonization. In summer 1834, at the age of 22, Holgate visited New York City, during a period of anti-abolitionist riots. The next year in 1835, he wrote and self-published the

n anti-abolition novel '' A Sojourn in the City of Amalgamation, in the Year of Our Lord, 19--''. He wrote this work under the pseudonym of Oliver Bolokitten, probably derived from his middle initial, the first part of his last name, and the second part of his last name (gate becoming , Spanish for cat, translated into English). He also wrote a later novel, ''Noachidæ: Or, Noah and His Descendants'' (1860), which is set in

antediluvian The antediluvian (alternatively pre-diluvian or pre-flood) period is the time period chronicled in the Bible between the fall of man and the Genesis flood narrative in biblical cosmology. The term was coined by Thomas Browne (1605–1682). The n ...

times. Science fiction critic

John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part ...

noted ''Noachiæ'' as being "much less offensive" than ''A Sojourn in the City of Amalgamation'', which he described as probably "seem nggrotesque" in its racism even for the audience of 1835. Holgate was an obscure author. He was also a significant figure in American

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

. He died in Utica on April 7, 1893.

Bibliography

*'' A Sojourn in the City of Amalgamation, in the Year of Our Lord, 19--'' New York : The Author (1835) *''Key to A Historical, Genealogical, Biographical, Geographical, and Chronological Chart: On a Novel and Interesting Plan'' (1838) *''Atlas of American History; on a Novel Plan: Comprising a Complete Synopsis of the Events from the Discovery of the American Continent by Columbus in 1492 to the Year 1842'' (1842) * American genealogy : being a history of some of the early settlers of North America and their descendants, from their first emigration to the present time ... (1848) *Beekman family records (1848) *''Conversations on the Present Age of the World in Connection with Prophecy'' (1853) *''Noachidæ: Or, Noah and His Descendants'' (1860 *''Shortcomings of the Puritan church, and Reorganization of society'' (1863)

References

Works cited

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External links

* 1812 births 1893 deaths 19th-century American novelists 19th-century American male writers American genealogists American male novelists American science fiction writers Novelists from Vermont Writers from Burlington, Vermont {{US-novelist-1810s-stub