Parson weems the life of george washington

  • Parson Weems was an American author who wrote several biographies of historical figures, the most famous of which was his 1800 biography of George Washington.
  • Reprint of the original, first published in 1877.
  • This book is more about Mr. Weems and his odyssey trying to get the book published and people to pay for it.

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    It is a fun, though missvisande byproduct of the way history is written that legends and myths appear. Did Lady Godiva ride naked on horseback through the streets of Coventry? Was the impetus for Isaac Newton’s formulation of the laws of gravity an apple falling on his head? Did Betsy Ross truly sew the first American flag? 

    The following is a well-known excerpt from the circa 1800 story of George Washington (1732–1799) by Parson Mason Locke Weems (pictured above):

    “George,” said his father, “do you know who killed that beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden?” This was a tough question; and George staggered under it for a moment; but quickly recovered himself: and looking at his father, with the sweet face of youth brightened with the inexpressible charm of all- conquering truth, he bravely cried out, “ I can’t tell a lie, Pa; you know inom can’t tell a lie. inom did cut it with my hatchet.”—”Run to my arms, you dearest boy,” cried his father in transports, “run to my arms

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    Rare Set of 5 Life of George Washington Books

    Rare set of 5 19th Century Books (Life of George Washington) with maps, printed 1804.

    These make up the earliest known biography of George Washington, one of the founding fathers of the United States and its first President between 1789 and 1797. 

    The books were written by Mason Weems, known as Parson Weems, who was an American book agent and author. The first edition of his The Life of George Washington was published in 1800, with the other editions following between 1804 and 1807. 

    These biographies were intended to be morally instructive to America's youth. Virtually all early accounts of Washington celebrated him as a model American, due to his role in the American Revolution, and there was little to no criticism of him at this point. 

    The accounts of Weems are most famous for exposing the cherry tree anecdote, whereby a six-year-old George Washington receives a hatchet for his birthday and uses it to cut his father's cherry

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    Mason Locke Weems

    Fictionalizing biographer of George Washington

    Mason Locke Weems (October 11, 1759 – May 23, 1825), usually referred to as Parson Weems, was an American minister, evangelical bookseller and author who wrote (and rewrote and republished) the first biography of George Washington immediately after his death.[1] Some popular stories about Washington thought during the 20th century to be apocryphal can be traced to Weems, including the cherry tree tale ("I cannot tell a lie, I did it with my little hatchet"). Weems' biography of Washington was a bestseller that depicted Washington's virtues and was intended to provide morally instructive tales for the youth of the young nation.[2]

    Early life

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    Mason Weems was born on October 11, 1759, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, the youngest of nineteen children. His family traced its ancestry to Scotland. When he was ten years old, his parents sent him away to study at the Kent County Free Scho

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