Amos Bronson Alcott

1799 - 1888  (88 years)

• Name	Amos Bronson Alcott  [1]
  Birth	29 Nov 1799	Wolcott, New Haven, Connecticut, USA   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Note	Biographical Sketch: He was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer. As an educator, Alcott pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, focusing on a conversational style, and avoided traditional punishment. He hoped to perfect the human spirit and, to that end, advocated a vegetarian, almost vegan diet. He was also an abolitionist and an advocate for women's rights. Born in Connecticut in 1799, Alcott had only minimal formal schooling before attempting a career as a traveling salesman. Worried about how the itinerant life might have a negative impact on his soul, he turned to teaching. His innovative methods, however, were controversial, and he rarely stayed in one place very long. His most well-known teaching position was at the Temple School in Boston. His experience there was turned into two books: Records of a School and Conversations with Children on the Gospels. Alcott became friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson and became a major figure in transcendentalism. His writings on behalf of that movement, however, were heavily criticized for being incoherent. Based on his ideas for human perfection, Alcott founded Fruitlands, a transcendentalist experiment in community living. The project was short-lived and failed after seven months. Alcott continued to struggle financially for most of his life. Nevertheless, he continued focusing on educational projects and opened a new school at the end of his life in 1879. He died in 1888. Alcott married Abby May in 1830 and they eventually had four surviving children, all daughters. Their second was Louisa May, who fictionalized her experience with the family in her novel Little Women in 1868.
  Death	4 Mar 1888	Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA   [1]
  Person ID	I6616	Hillbillies & Vikings
  Last Modified	30 Jun 2023

  
  

  Family	Abigail May,   b. 8 Oct 1800, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA d. 25 Nov 1877, Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA (Age 77 years)
  Marriage	23 May 1830	Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA   [1]
  Children	+ 1. Anna Bronson Alcott,   b. 16 Mar 1831, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA d. 17 Jul 1893, Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA (Age 62 years)   2. Louisa May Alcott,   b. 29 Nov 1832, Philadelphia, German Twp, Pennsylvania, USA d. 6 Mar 1888, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA (Age 55 years)   3. Elizabeth Sewall Alcott,   b. 24 Jun 1835, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA d. 14 Mar 1858, Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA (Age 22 years)   4. Frederic Alcott,   b. 4 Apr 1839   d. 6 Apr 1839 (Age 0 years) + 5. Abigail Alcott,   b. 26 Jul 1840, Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA d. 29 Dec 1879, Paris, City of Paris, Île-de-France, France (Age 39 years)
  Family ID	F1979	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	30 Jun 2023

  
  

• Photos		Amos Bronson Alcott Mug Keywords: Picture
  		Amos Bronson Alcott Keywords: Picture

  
  

• Reference

  Your Name Here. "Amos Bronson Alcott". Our Family History. https://jonandjohn.org/getperson.php?personID=I6616&tree=tree1 (accessed March 14, 2025).