Samuel Griswold Goodrich (August 19, 1793 – May 9, 1860), better known by his

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Peter Parley, was an American author and politician who established the children's magazine '' Merry's Museum''. He was a Massachusetts State Senator in 1837.

Biography

Goodrich was born at

Ridgefield, Connecticut Ridgefield is an affluent New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains and on the New York state border, Ridgefield had a population o ...

, the son of a

Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

minister. Goodrich was largely self-educated, and became an assistant in a country store at

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2020 was 86,518. It is the third-largest city in Western Connecticut, and the seventh-largest ...

, which he left in 1808, and later again at

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, until 1811. From 1816 to 1822 he was a bookseller and publisher in Hartford. He visited Europe from 1823 to 1824, and moved to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

in 1826. In 1833 he bought in nearby Roxbury and built a home in what is now

Jamaica Plain Jamaica Plain is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of Roxbury, Massachusetts, Roxbury. The community seceded from Roxbur ...

. There he continued in the publishing business, and from 1828 to 1842 published an illustrated annual, '' The Token'', to which he was a frequent contributor both in prose and verse. A selection from these contributions was published in 1841 under the title ''Sketches from a Students Window''. ''The Token'' also contained some of the earliest work of

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (né Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associat ...

Nathaniel Parker Willis Nathaniel Parker Willis (January 20, 1806 – January 20, 1867), also known as N. P. Willis,Baker, 3 was an American writer, poet and editor who worked with several notable American writers including Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfello ...

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

and

Lydia Maria Child Lydia Maria Child ( Francis; February 11, 1802October 20, 1880) was an American Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, women's rights activist, Native Americans in the United States, Native American rights activist, novelist, journalis ...

. In 1841 he established '' Merry's Museum'', which he continued to edit till 1854. Goodrich and his brother

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

wrote books for young people. His series, beginning in 1827 under the name of Peter Parley, embraced geography, biography, history, science and miscellaneous tales. Of these he was the sole author of only a few, but in 1857 he wrote that he was the author and editor of about 170 volumes, and that about seven millions had been sold. An English writer, George Mogridge, also used the name Peter Parley, raising objections from Goodrich, who had the prior claim. Goodrich Megalosaurus

In 1857 he published ''Recollections of a Lifetime'', which contains a list both of the works of which he was the author or editor and of the spurious works published under his name. By his writings and publications he amassed a large fortune. He was active in Whig politics, and was elected a member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

in 1836, and of the

state Senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

in 1837, his competitor in the last election being Alexander Hill Everett, and in 1851-1853 he was consul at

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he remained until 1855, taking advantage of his stay to have several of his works translated into French. At the end of his consulship, he was presented with a commemorative medal. He returned to the United States, and, in 1859, he publishe
''Illustrated Natural History of the Animal Kingdom''
He died in New York and was buried in Southbury, Connecticut where he lived for a short time. His funeral was widely attended by a vast concourse of persons. Two hundred Sunday School children headed the procession to the cemetery.

Legacy

*Goodrich's land in

was subdivided into residential streets, among them Peter Parley Road, Parley Avenue and Parley Vale. *There is a street called Peter Parley Row in Berlin, CT, presumably honoring the author's Connecticut birthplace. *There are two streets bearing his name in Ridgefield, CT, Parley Road and Parley Lane. *

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

mentions the name of Peter Parley in his novel ''

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'' is the second book and first novel of Irish writer James Joyce, published in 1916. A ''Künstlerroman'' written in a modernist style, it traces the religious and intellectual awakening of young Ste ...

'' at the end of chapter I.
One room Schoolhouse in Ridgefield, CT
was named after Peter Parley. * George du Maurier mentions "Peter Parleys Natural History" in his first novel "Peter Ibbetson" (Part One). *

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

mentions "Peter Parley" in one of her poems. ("Hurrah for Peter Parley! Hurrah for Daniel Boone! Three cheers, sir, for the gentleman Who first observed the moon!") *

James Abbott McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral a ...

refers dismissively to Peter Parley in his book ''The Gentle Art of Making Enemies''.

References

External links

Samuel G. Goodrich Collection, Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
* * * *

- Jamaica Plain Historical Society article
Literary Activities Of Samuel G. Goodrich
- Pat Pflieger
The Young American: Or, Book of Government and Law; Showing Their History, Nature, and Necessity. For the Use of Schools
by S. G. Goodrich {{DEFAULTSORT:Goodrich, Samuel Griswold 1793 births 1860 deaths 19th-century American people American male writers Politicians from Boston Writers from Ridgefield, Connecticut Massachusetts state senators Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People from Jamaica Plain 19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court

Biography

Legacy

References

Further reading

External links