Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12th, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts in the home of his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Minot. His parents were Cynthia Dunbar and John Thoreau. His father was a businessman and active in the Concord Fire Society. Thoreau's mother spent her time raising Henry and his three siblings, Helen, John and Sophia. Both of Henry's parents loved nature.

After graduating from Harvard University in 1837, he taught school and tutored for a short period of time.

From 1845 to 1847, Thoreau moved to a hut that he constructed on the edge of Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. It was in this location that he wrote A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, a trip he made with his brother John. His most famous literary work, Walden or life in the Woods was written later. His goal in life was to live simply:

"To live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach."

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Title page of the first edition of Walden
Picture sketched by Sophia, Thoreau's sister
Courtesy of The Library of Congress

Click on the links below to view movies about Thoreau's Life at Walden Henry David Thoreau Introduction You said you came here to live life deliberately and simply. In doing so what did you learn? Thoreau's Philosophy Thoreau: Community Connection What do you do all day? Does the Pond freeze in winter? How do you bathe in winter? Henry's Friends: Visitors to Walden Henry's Bean Field Farewell to Walden

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Original desks, chairs and bed from Thoreau's Cabin
Thoreau Room Antiquarian Society now Concord Museum
Alfred Winslow Hosmer 1851 - 1903, Photographer
Courtesy of the Concord Free Public Library

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Thoreau's Flute, Telescope, and a Copy of Wilson's Ornithology
Alfred Winslow Hosmer 1851 - 1903, Photographer
Courtesy of the Concord Free Public Library

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1846 Survey Map of Walden Pond
Courtesy of the Library of Congress