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Born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 19, 1663, Cotton Mather was the eldest son of Increase and Maria Mather and the grandson of Richard Mather, the first minister of Dorchester, Massachusetts, and of John Cotton, probably the most learned of first-generation American theologians (a specialist in the study of faith and religion).
When was Cotton Mather born?
February 12, 1663Cotton Mather / Date of birthCotton Mather, (born February 12, 1663, Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony [U.S.]—died February 13, 1728, Boston), American Congregational minister and author, supporter of the old order of the ruling clergy, who became the most celebrated of all New England Puritans.
Who were Cotton Mather's parents?
Increase MatherMaria CottonCotton Mather/Parents
Who was Cotton Mather's wife?
Lydia Georgem. 1715–1728Elizabeth Hubbardm. 1703–1713Abigail Philipsm. 1686–1702Cotton Mather/Wife
Who was Cotton Mathers of Boston?
Cotton Mather, the minister of Boston's Old North church, was a true believer in witchcraft. In 1688, he had investigated the strange behavior of four children of a Boston mason named John Goodwin. The children had been complaining of sudden pains and crying out together in chorus.
Where does the last name Mathers come from?
The surname Mathers was first found in Kincardineshire (Gaelic: A' Mhaoirne), a former county on the northeast coast of the Grampian region of Scotland, and part of the Aberdeenshire Council Area since 1996, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken ...
Is Mather a name?
The name Mather is primarily a gender-neutral name of English origin that means Person Who Mows. English medieval occupational surname - from the Olde English word "moethere" meaning one who mowed or who possibly operated a primitive form of mowing machine.
What does Mather mean?
In English Baby Names the meaning of the name Mather is: Powerful army.
Was Cotton Mather accused of witchcraft?
Mather had a prominent role in the witchcraft case against Catholic washerwoman Goody Glover, which ultimately resulted in her conviction and execution. Besides praying for the children, which also included fasting and meditation, he would also observe and record their activities.
What was the town of Salem like in 1692?
In 1692, life in the Puritan village of Salem, Massachusetts was all but exciting. Lives were stressful and fun was considered irreligious. Puritans attended church every Sunday morning for three hours, and they listened to sermons given by the town reverend that warned against evil.
Is Tom Cotton related to Cotton Mather?
Thomas Mather was an early Illinois settler, businessman, and politician who served as a member of both branches of the Illinois legislature. His father, William Mather, fought in the Revolutionary War, and Thomas was also a direct descendant of New England minister Cotton Mather.
What was Samuel Sewall's role in the Salem witch trials?
on the blue toolbar. Portrait of Samuel Sewall (1652-1730), minister, merchant, and magistrate. He was active in the Salem witchcraft trials in 1692, and he was the only judge involved who publicly admitted his error in sentencing 19 people to death.
What does Mather mean?
In English Baby Names the meaning of the name Mather is: Powerful army.
What was Cotton Mather's experiment?
A promoter of the new experimental science in America, Cotton Mather carried out original research on plant hybridization and on the use of inoculation as a means of preventing smallpox contagion.
Who was Cotton Mather?
Cotton Mather, (born February 12, 1663, Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony [U.S.]—died February 13, 1728, Boston), American Congregational minister and author, supporter of the old order of the ruling clergy, who became the most celebrated of all New England Puritans. He combined a mystical strain (he believed in the existence ...
What was Mather's most important work?
Arguably Mather’s most important work was the melange of history, biography, religion, and science entitled Magnalia Christi Americana. Jonathan Edwards made an important contribution to philosophy in his treatise Freedom of… …. …century, some writers, such as Cotton Mather, carried on the older traditions.
What was the Magnalia Christi Americana?
His magnum opus was Magnalia Christi Americana (1702), an ecclesiastical history of America from the founding of New England to his own time. His Manuductio ad Ministerium (1726) was a handbook of advice for young graduates to the ministry: on doing good, on college love affairs, on poetry and music, and on style.
Who wrote Essays to Do Good?
Cotton Mather ’s Essays to do good (1710) has few readers in present-day New England, despite that region’s Puritan tradition, and Jonathan Edwards (1703–58), a writer of great spiritual warmth and imaginative style who was the first of the great prose writers of America, is admired…. History at your fingertips.
Who was Cotton Mather?
Boston, Massachusetts. American historian and clergyman. Cotton Mather was a Puritan (a member of a group that broke away from the Church of England in the sixteenth and seventeenth century) preacher, historian (recorder of events and culture of the times), and the youngest man to graduate from Harvard College.
What did Cotton Mather study?
Cotton Mather, having made remarkable progress under his father's training, was admitted to Harvard College at the age of twelve. He had begun studying Hebrew and showed great interest in philosophy (the study of knowledge) Cotton Mather. Courtesy of the. Library of Congress.
How many children did Cotton Mather have?
Disappointment and grief marked Cotton Mather's life. In 1686 he married Abigail Philips; they had nine children. She died in 1702. In 1703 he married the widow Mrs. Elizabeth Hubbard; they had six children. She died in 1713. His last wife, Mrs. Lydia George, whom he married in 1715, went insane. Of his fifteen children, only six lived to adulthood and only two outlived him. Three widowed sisters depended largely on him, and he was burdened by severe money problems.
What did Cotton Mather record about the Massachusetts Bay colony?
Cotton Mather recorded the passing of an era . The Massachusetts Bay Colony had been an extreme, Bible-based community of "saints," whose existence as an example to the rest of the world was to be safeguarded till Christ's second coming. In Mather's lifetime the separation of church and state and the development of the frontier and of a society absorbed in business and profits made the people's interest in church lessen. American-born colonists turned to nature and to reason for the sources of their new identity.
What was the first act of the Massachusetts governor?
One of Massachusetts governor Sir William Phips's (1651–1695) first acts in office was the establishment of a court to try the suspected witches recently arrested at Salem, Massachusetts. Mather had attempted to show the reality of spirits (bodiless, but sometimes visible supernatural beings, ghosts), particularly evil spirits, in his study Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions … (1689). Although he had urged strong punishment of the devil's work, he suggested much milder punishment than death for those found to be guilty of witchcraft (the use of magic). Mather's approach was both religious and scientific. He separated himself from the trials as such and in fact warned the judges against "spectral [ghostlike] evidences," but his advice went unheard. In his Magnalia Christi Americana (1702) Mather declared his disapproval of the methods used in the trials. But while they were going on, he had not entered public protest.
Who was Cotton Mather?
Biography: Cotton Mather (1662/3-1727/8) COTTON MATHER (1662/3-1727/8). The eldest son of New England's leading divine, Increase Mather, and grandson of the colony's spiritual founders Richaard Mather and John Cotton, Mather was born in Boston, educated at Harvard (B.A. 1678; M.A. 1681), and received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree ...
Who is Increase Mather?
The eldest son of New England's leading divine, Increase Mather, and grandson of the colony's spiritual founders Richaard Mather and John Cotton, Mather was born in Boston, educated at Harvard (B.A. 1678; M.A. 1681), and received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Glasgow University (1710). As pastor of Boston's Second Church ...
Why is Cotton Mather famous?
Cotton Mather, (born Feb. 12, 1663, Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony [U.S.]—died Feb. 13, 1728, Boston), American Congregational minister and author, supporter of the old order of the ruling clergy, who became the most celebrated of all New England Puritans.
What is a Mather?
Mather Name Meaning. occupational name for a mower or reaper of grass or hay, Old English m? ðere. Compare Mead, Mower.
How does Cotton Mather represent Puritanism?
Besides his involvement with the witch trials in Salem during the 1690s, Cotton Mather is remembered as one of the most influential Puritan ministers of his day. By the end of his life, he had published over 400 of his works, ranging from the subject of witchcraft to smallpox inoculation.
What evidence does Cotton Mather include in his account?
The correct answer is spectral evidence. The Reverant Cotton Mather was not directly involved in the Salem witch trials. However he wrote one letter to Magistrate John Richards of Boston. Mather urged caution in the use of "spectral" evidence.
Who was Cotton Mather Salem witch trials?
Cotton Mather. Cotton Mather, the minister of Boston's Old North church, was a true believer in witchcraft. In 1688, he had investigated the strange behavior of four children of a Boston mason named John Goodwin. The children had been complaining of sudden pains and crying out together in chorus.
Who ended Salem witch trials?
As 1692 passed into 1693, the hysteria began to lose steam. The governor of the colony, upon hearing that his own wife was accused of witchcraft ordered an end to the trials. However, 20 people and 2 dogs were executed for the crime of witchcraft in Salem.
What did Increase Mather do?
Increase Mather, (born June 21, 1639, Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony [U.S.]—died August 23, 1723, Boston), Boston Congregational minister, author, and educator, who was a determining influence in the councils of New England during the crucial period when leadership passed into the hands of the first native-born
More information
Mather was born in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, the son of Maria (née Cotton) and Increase Mather, and grandson of both John Cotton and Richard Mather, all also prominent Puritan ministers. Mather was named after his maternal grandfather John Cotton.
Geographical origins
The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived.
Where was Cotton Mather born?
Cotton Mather was born on February 12, 1663, in Massachusetts, Boston. He was born to Maria and Increase Mather. He attended Boston Latin School. In 1678, he graduated from Harvard University. In 1685, he was ordained and became an assistant pastor of North Church. In 1660, he became a fellow of the Harvard College.
Who was Cotton Mather?
Cotton Mather was born on February 12, 1663. He was a church minister. He supported the old order of the clergy. He was also an author. He firmly believed in mysticism. He wrote more than four hundred books and pamphlets.
Who was Cotton Mather?
Cotton Mather was a member of one of the most distinguished early Massachusetts families. Born in Boston, the son of Increase Mather and the grandson of John Cotton and Richard Mather, young Mather grew up under the watchful eye of the community and became the object of great expectations. He entered Harvard at age 12, having already mastered Latin and Greek. He graduated six years later with a master’s degree, which was presented to him by his father, the president of the college. Mather was deeply devoted to prayer and Bible study, but also harbored strong scientific interests that caused him to consider medicine as a vocation. Mather was initially doubtful about his prospects in the ministry because on account of persistent stuttering, perhaps attributable to the pressure of expectations placed upon him. Through diligence, however, he managed to overcome his speech impediment and was ordained in 1685. He served with his father at North Church in Boston for 40 years. Few figures in early American history have as many vocal admirers and detractors as Cotton Mather. He benefited the Massachusetts community by his lifelong commitment to doing good. His reform efforts included pleas to educators to motivate students through rewards, rather than punishments. In the scientific realm, he was an early advocate for Smallpox inoculation, a stand that earned him the antipathy of many of his neighbors. He took the bold step of inoculating his son, who almost died from the procedure. Mather also took an active role in political matters, most notably by agitating against the governorship of Edmund Andros . The Salem witchcraft hysteria is often cited to illustrate the narrow-minded side of Mather’s character. Like most educated people of the Western world, Mather believed that certain individuals had entered into compacts with the Devil and given up their souls in return for the powers of witchcraft. His publication of Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcraft and Possession in 1689, probably increased public interest in the topic and may have contributed to the events that followed. Mather stood firmly behind the efforts to prosecute accused witches and urged the court to admit spectral evidence, the testimony of spirits who spoke through the victims of witchcraft. As the frenzy spread to all elements of society, however, Mather modified his position. Some have suggested that he also tried to conceal his guiding hand in the early events. Mather was the author of nearly 400 works — books, pamphlets, published sermons, and scientific tracts. His Magnalia Christi Americana (1702) was an extended ecclesiastical history of New England. While popular in its day, many later readers have found it difficult to overlook Mather’s constant interjection of his own views and judgments. Puritanism was as much motivated to encourage work as worship. In 1701, Cotton Math wrote A Christian at His Calling, which began:
Where was Mather born?
Born in Boston, the son of Increase Mather and the grandson of John Cotton and Richard Mather, young Mather grew up under the watchful eye of the community and became the object of great expectations.
What degree did Mather have?
He graduated six years later with a master’s degree, which was presented to him by his father, the president of the college. Mather was deeply devoted to prayer and Bible study, but also harbored strong scientific interests that caused him to consider medicine as a vocation.