John Lofland (1798–1849), widely known as the "Milford Bard" of Milford, Delaware, was a prolific and widely read writer of prose, verse, and speeches.[1] He grew up and spent much of his life in "The Towers" on North West Front Street in Milford. Later in his life he moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he associated with Edgar Allan Poe.
Lofland was born in Milford, Delaware on March 17, 1798. His father, Isaac, had moved to Milford from Frederica to start a general merchandise business. Isaac had married twice, but, tragically, both his wives had died. His third marriage was to Cynthia Virden, the daughter of a prominent local figure in Brown's Branch, five miles north of Milford. The marriage is speculated to have been an arranged one, a tactic of Cynthia's father to forge a strong relationship with Isaac, who held great sway in the local community. Cynthia's father wanted Issac's support to get appointed as the Milford schoolmaster.[2]
Lofland was Isaac and Cynthia's first child. He had a brother but he died aged three. The Loflands had another child, a daughter, Sarah, in 1802. Lofland formed a close and affectionate relationship with Sarah that lasted throughout their lives. Lofland's father died in 1803, bequeathing his widow and children a significant fortune. Cynthia later married a Laurel, a druggist who went on to run a general merchandise business.[2]
Educationedit
Lofland wasn't the brightest child at school. His mother had to teach him at home. It took Lofland longer than usual to learn how to read. After that his learning abilities improved significantly. He developed a love for reading and became a voracious reader. The first books he read were mostly English literature. Books written by American writers were rare and there were none for children. After turning twelve Lofland began reading science, theology, metaphysics, history, and mythology.[2]
As he reached his teens, Lofland gained access to a local scholar's library. He began reading Voltaire, d'Alembert, Mauperitius, Rousseau, Condorcet, Volney, Hume, and Gibbon. Lofland later described this phase in his life as reading and awakening as a skeptic. The skepticism spilled into his family life and caused problems. Being deeply religious, his family found it hard to cope with his philosophical awakening. Giving in to his mother's constant demands, he finally read the Bible, finding in it truth and beauty. Nevertheless, he did not consider himself capable of following Christianity.[2]
Referencesedit
^Federal Writers' Project (2013-10-31). The WPA Guide to Delaware: The First State. Trinity University Press. ISBN9781595342072.
^ abcdReid, John P. "The Milford Bard". Retrieved 16 January 2014.
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john, lofland, poet, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, john, lofland, poet, news, newspapers, books, s. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources John Lofland poet news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message John Lofland 1798 1849 widely known as the Milford Bard of Milford Delaware was a prolific and widely read writer of prose verse and speeches 1 He grew up and spent much of his life in The Towers on North West Front Street in Milford Later in his life he moved to Baltimore Maryland where he associated with Edgar Allan Poe John LoflandA portrait of John LoflandBorn 1798 03 17 March 17 1798Milford DelawareDiedJanuary 22 1849 1849 01 22 aged 50 Wilmington DelawareOccupationWriterFamily Background editLofland was born in Milford Delaware on March 17 1798 His father Isaac had moved to Milford from Frederica to start a general merchandise business Isaac had married twice but tragically both his wives had died His third marriage was to Cynthia Virden the daughter of a prominent local figure in Brown s Branch five miles north of Milford The marriage is speculated to have been an arranged one a tactic of Cynthia s father to forge a strong relationship with Isaac who held great sway in the local community Cynthia s father wanted Issac s support to get appointed as the Milford schoolmaster 2 Lofland was Isaac and Cynthia s first child He had a brother but he died aged three The Loflands had another child a daughter Sarah in 1802 Lofland formed a close and affectionate relationship with Sarah that lasted throughout their lives Lofland s father died in 1803 bequeathing his widow and children a significant fortune Cynthia later married a Laurel a druggist who went on to run a general merchandise business 2 Education editLofland wasn t the brightest child at school His mother had to teach him at home It took Lofland longer than usual to learn how to read After that his learning abilities improved significantly He developed a love for reading and became a voracious reader The first books he read were mostly English literature Books written by American writers were rare and there were none for children After turning twelve Lofland began reading science theology metaphysics history and mythology 2 As he reached his teens Lofland gained access to a local scholar s library He began reading Voltaire d Alembert Mauperitius Rousseau Condorcet Volney Hume and Gibbon Lofland later described this phase in his life as reading and awakening as a skeptic The skepticism spilled into his family life and caused problems Being deeply religious his family found it hard to cope with his philosophical awakening Giving in to his mother s constant demands he finally read the Bible finding in it truth and beauty Nevertheless he did not consider himself capable of following Christianity 2 References edit Federal Writers Project 2013 10 31 The WPA Guide to Delaware The First State Trinity University Press ISBN 9781595342072 a b c d Reid John P The Milford Bard Retrieved 16 January 2014 nbsp This American poet related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Lofland poet amp oldid 1073125441, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
