An Illustrated Tour through
Judith Sargent Murray's World

Gloucester Harbor

This image of Gloucester Harbor dates from 1817, years after Judith Sargent's birth in 1751. But the harbor would have looked quite similar during her childhood, with its bustling wharves and fishing schooners. In the early 18th century, Gloucester was the most successful port on the Eastern coast and the Sargent family accumulated considerable wealth through trade with England and the West Indies. Photograph courtesy of the Cape Ann Historical Association.

Home of Judith Sargent and John Murray

This handsome, high-style Georgian mansion was built for Judith in 1782 on the occasion of her first marriage to John Stevens, Jr., a successful merchant in the maritime trade. Judith later lived here with John Murray before they moved to Boston in 1794. Today, the house is known as the Sargent House Museum and is open to the public May 1 through Columbus Day, Friday through Monday, 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. (Call first to check hours, at 978-281-2432.) Click here for more information about the museum and visiting Gloucester. Photograph by Bonnie Hurd Smith.

John Murray (1741-1815)

Judith Sargent Stevens married John Murray in 1788 in Salem, Massachusetts. While her first marriage was childless and not particularly happy, her marriage to John Murray was based on mutual love and respect, intellectual and spiritual companionship. The two had known each other, and "mingled souls on paper," for ten years before exchanging vows. During their marriage, Judith's literary and political career blossomed. Together and individually, the Murrays were "players" on the national stage. With John, Judith Sargent Murray gave birth to a son, Fitz Winthrop, in 1789 who died in childbirth, and to a daughter, Julia Maria, in 1791 who survived. It was Judith who first called John Murray the "Father of Universalism," and she published his "Letters and Sketches of Sermons" in 1812 and his autobiography in 1816. Photograph courtesy of The Bostonian Society/Old State House.

Salem Court House, 1810-1820

Judith Sargent Stevens and John Murray had many ties to Salem, Massachusetts. They were married here in 1788, in a private home. Their friends, the Plummers, and their cousins, the Thomas Saunders family, lived in Salem, and Judith and John no doubt passed the Salem Court House many times on their travels from Gloucester to Boston. In 1805-6, the first Universalist meeting house was built in Salem, and John attended its dedication. Photograph courtesy of the Peabody Essex Museum.

View of Boston in 1790

This is how Boston looked when Judith and John traveled from Gloucester to Philadelphia in 1790. You can order Bonnie Hurd Smith's book about their journey, which took them through western and southern Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Photograph courtesy of The Bostonian Society/Old State House.

View of Boston in 1791

This view of Boston more cleary shows the city's bustling harbor. Photograph courtesy of The Bostonian Society/Old State House.

Franklin Place, the Tontine Crescent

The Murray family, including Judith, John, and Julia Maria, took up residence here in 1794. Built by the renowned Boston architect Charles Bulfinch, Franklin Place was Boston's first townhouse development and among the city's most fashionable residences. Boston's first public library and the Massachusetts Historical Society were housed above the center arch. The building no longer stands today, but is remembered by Franklin Street. The street retains the curve of Bulfinch's original design. Photograph courtesy of The Bostonian Society/Old State House.

Another View of Franklin Place

The great urn placed out front was moved in the early 1800s to Mount Auburn Cemetery in nearby Cambridge and installed in the monument there to Charles Bulfinch. Photograph courtesy of The Bostonian Society/Old State House.

Interior of Franklin Place

This painting of his Franklin Place townhouse was done by Judith Sargent Murray's cousin, Henry Sargent. We can imagine that Judith's formal room looked very similar. Photograph courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The Theatre on Federal Street, Boston, c.1794

Two of Judith Sargent Murray's plays were performed here, in 1795 and 1796. We have the manuscripts of these two plays ("The Medium, or Happy Tea-Party," later renamed "The Medium, or Virtue Triumphant," and "The Traveller Returned") but a manuscript of her third play, "The African," has yet to surface. It was never performed, although it went into rehearsal in 1807. When Judith's first play was staged, she became the first American (male or female) to be so honored. At the time, "indigenous" productions (meaning, American) were looked on as immature and unworthy of consideration. Photograph courtesy of The Bostonian Society/Old State House.

Boston's Concert Hall

Judith Sargent Murray attended numerous performances here, often accompanied by her daughter, Julia Maria, or one of the many nieces, nephews, or children of family friends who visited "Aunt Murray" to supplement their education. Photograph courtesy of The Bostonian Society/Old State House.

Holworthy Hall, Harvard University, 1811

Judith Sargent Murray oversaw the education of six nephews and two sons of family friends who attended Harvard College. She made regular visits to the Cambridge campus where "the boys" usually boarded in nearby private homes.

Fresh Pond Hotel, Cambridge, c.1800

When Boston became unbearably hot during the summer months, the fashionable people headed west for the "salubrious waters" of Fresh Pond. There, at the grand Fresh Pond Hotel, guests could bathe, dine, and listen to orchestral music. Today, the building stands on Lakeview Avenue, near Fresh Pond.

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