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Picture
PictureMrs. Perez Morton (Sarah Wentworth Apthorp). about 1802 by Gilbert Stuart, MFA Boston
In 1791, Massachusetts Magazine called Sarah Wentworth Morton (1759-1846) “the American Sappho,” and she was a well-known Boston voice in the early literature of the new nation. Baptized at King’s Chapel on August 29, 1759, she was a member for much of her life. Her parents were Sarah Wentworth and James Apthorp, one of the eighteen children of Charles and Grizzel Apthorp, a prominent couple in the early years of this chapel building. Her husband Perez Morton, a lawyer who had many political roles in his career, wrote and delivered a dramatic eulogy for patriot Dr. Joseph Warren at King’s Chapel. They owned Pew 4. Proud of her mother’s family, she used the name Sarah Wentworth Morton.

Her family gave her an excellent education at a time when not all women, no matter their social status, could claim that. Many people felt education and an active intellect rendered a woman repulsive and a bad marriage prospect. Very well-read, she began writing poetry as a child. Her adult work covered topics including freedom, the new nation, women’s roles in American society, the relations among races and classes, and her own painful emotions from a troubled marriage and family tragedies.

The print industry, which brought out numerous copies of writing, including newspapers and magazines, for wide distribution, was only an 18 th -century development. Women were not always encouraged to participate in this new public sphere, so it’s not surprising that there were other avenues for sharing written work in her time. Sarah Morton and many other writers, especially women, circulated their manuscripts privately among friends, social groups, and wide networks of like-minded writers and readers. These networks encouraged commitment, gave writers an audience, and let them, especially women, support and mentor one another. The Morton home was also a popular salon and social meeting place for Boston writers of all genders. There her work was appreciated and encouraged as she welcomed and encouraged others.

She wrote most of her poetry, both short lyrics and book-length narrative poems, under the name Philenia. One-word, classical-sounding pen names were common in the 18th -century, whether one was a poet or just writing a letter to the editor! Within her network, readers would have known who she was. When she first published her poetry in 1789, the pen name may have hidden her identity, but probably not for long. She published until 1807 and then stopped.

She produced a final book in 1823, published under her own name, called My Mind and Its Thoughts, a collection of poems and short philosophical pieces. By the 1800s, the idea of the individual author as a single, inspired talent had replaced the sense of the writing community she had worked in before, and her last book seems to reflect that shift.

She died on May 14, 1846. Her will requested burial in the Apthorp family tomb beneath King’s Chapel, and requested that her children Frances and Charles be moved from their graves to lie on either side. There is no reason to assume these instructions were not followed. Although not well-known today, because later poetry trends devalued her type of classical
writing, Sarah Wentworth Morton was talented, prolific, and worthy of rediscovery.
​

Read Sarah Wentworth Morton's poem "The African Chief"

Morton's poem appears on www.poemhunter.com
SEE how the black ship cleaves the main,
High bounding o'er the dark blue wave,
Remurmuring with the groans of pain,
Deep freighted with the princely slave!

Did all the gods of Afric sleep,
Forgetful of their guardian love,
When the white tyrants of the deep,
Betrayed him in the palmy grove.

A chief of Gambia's golden shore,
Whose arm the band of warriors led,
Or more—the lord of generous power,
By whom the foodless poor were fed.

Does not the voice of reason cry,
"Claim the first right that nature gave,
From the red scourge of bondage fly,
Nor deign to live a burden'd slave."

Has not his suffering offspring clung,
Desponding round his fetter'd knee;
On his worn shoulder, weeping hung,
And urged one effort to be free?

His wife by nameless wrongs subdued,
His bosom's friend to death resign'd;
The flinty path-way drench'd in blood;
He saw with cold and frenzied mind.

Strong in despair, then sought the plain,
To heaven was raised his steadfast eye,
Resolved to burst the crushing chain,
Or 'mid the battle's blast to die.

​First of his race, he led the band,
Guardless of danger, hurling round,
Till by his red avenging hand,
Full many a despot stain'd the ground.
When erst Messenia's sons oppress'd,
Flew desperate to the sanguine field,
With iron clothed each injured breast,
And saw the cruel Spartan yield,

Did not the soul to heaven allied,
With the proud heart as greatly swell,
As when the Roman Decius died,
Or when the Grecian victim fell?

Do later deeds quick rapture raise,
The boon Batavia's William won,
Paoli's time-enduring praise,
Or the yet greater Washington!

If these exalt thy sacred zeal,
To hate oppression's mad control,
For bleeding Afric learn to feel,
Whose chieftain claim'd a kindred soul.

Ah, mourn the last disastrous hour,
Lift the full eye of bootless grief,
While victory treads the sultry shore,
And tears from hope the captive chief;

While the hard race of pallid hue,
Unpractised in the power to feel,
Resign him to the murderous crew,
The horrors of the quivering wheel.

Let sorrow bathe each blushing cheek,
Bend piteous o'er the tortured slave,
Whose wrongs compassion cannot speak,
Whose only refuge was the grave.
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  • Home
    • About Us >
      • Welcome
      • Calendar
      • Clergy & Staff
      • Contact Us & Directions >
        • Send A Message
      • Employment Opportunities >
        • Pianist/ Music Leader
        • Verger Position
  • Worship
    • Holy Week 2022
    • Sunday at 9 AM
    • Sunday at 11 AM
    • Lent 2022
    • Sermons
    • Special Annual Services
    • Book of Common Prayer
  • Music
    • Tuesday Recitals
    • Concert Series
    • Musical Inquiries
  • History & Tours
    • Plan Your Visit >
      • 2023 At A Glance
      • Guided Tour Offerings >
        • Group Tours
    • Explore Our History >
      • A Brief History
      • The Stone Chapel: Art & Architecture >
        • The Wooden Chapel
        • Georgian Architecture
        • Box Pews
        • Interior Colors
        • Memorials
        • The Chancel Windows
        • The Last Supper Painting
      • Crypt and Burying Ground >
        • Crypt >
          • Crypt Highlights: Crypt Entrance
          • Crypt Highlights: Tomb Structure
          • Crypt Highlights: The Stranger's Tomb
          • Crypt Highlights: Research and Family Connections
          • Crypt Highlights: Remaining Memorials
          • Crypt Highlights: Hand-Hewn Beams
        • Burying Ground
      • Religious History >
        • Online Exhibit: Independent Country, Independent Church
        • 334 Years of Ministry
      • Slavery at King's Chapel
    • Online Exhibits >
      • Revolutionary King's Chapel: Online Exhibit
      • Literary King's Chapel
      • Uncovering the Past: Exploring Black History Through Primary Sources
    • History Events & Programs >
      • Past Events & Programs
      • Recorded History Programs
    • Christmas History at King's Chapel >
      • Decking the Halls: The History of Decorating with Greens
      • Christmas Lights: Then and Now
      • 18th & 19th Century Christmas Services & Music
      • Christmas Feasts & Treats Throughout History
      • Holiday History Trivia
    • History Program Blog
    • About Us >
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      • Contact Us
    • Support the History Program
  • Community
    • News & Updates >
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    • Community from Home
    • Community Action Committee >
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    • Memorial to Enslaved Persons
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