Ralph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803, in Massachusetts, and spent much of his life searching for answers and meaning. His father was a minister who died in 1811 when Ralph was a young boy. His mother worked hard to provide for Ralph and his four siblings. But times were still very difficult for the family. The Book of Knowledge published by the Grolier Society in 1911 shares that “Ralph and his brother Edward had at times only one overcoat between them, so that their schoolfellows would ask: ‘Whose turn is it today?’” He attended Harvard College, graduated in 1821, and worked as a teacher for a time. He then studied to become a minister. He married in 1829, but he lost his wife to tuberculosis in 1831. He struggled to deal with his grief and left the ministry. He spent time in Europe, returned to America, and remarried. Much of his literary work that he is remembered for is an exploration of the ques- tions he wanted answers for. He ultimately rejected the truth of the Bible and instead sought to create his own answers, some of which is seen in his 1836 booklet called Nature. In 1849 he published Representative Men, a biography of Plato, Swedenborg, Montaigne, Shakespeare, Napoleon, and Goethe. He spoke and taught much throughout his life and died in Massachusetts in 1882. On the following pages you will find a timeline of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s life and a notebooking page. Do some research into the life and work of Ralph Waldo Emerson and record your observations as you look more closely at the life of this famous author. © 2014 Bonnie Rose Hudson WriteBonnieRose.com 39 _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ © 2014 Bonnie Rose Hudson WriteBonnieRose.com 40 Ralph Waldo Emerson Timeline Ralph Waldo Emerson was born 1803 1817 1821 1829 1831 1832 1841 1844 1850 1860 1882 Died in Concord Mass. Graduated and taught school while preparing for part-time study in the Harvard Divinity School Wife died of tuberculosis Entered Harvard College Published Representative Men Resigned from the ministry Married Ellen Louisa Tucker Published second volume of Essays Published first volume of Essays Published The Conduct of Life © 2014 Bonnie Rose Hudson WriteBonnieRose.com 41 Answer Key Ralph Waldo Emerson Timeline Ralph Waldo Emerson was born 1803 1817 Entered Harvard College Graduated and taught school while preparing for part-time study in the Harvard Divinity School 1821 1829 Married Ellen Louisa Tucker Wife died of tuberculosis 1831 1832 Resigned from the ministry Published first volume of Essays 1841 1844 Published second volume of Essays Published Representative Men 1850 1860 Published The Conduct of Life Died in Concord Mass. 1882 © 2014 Bonnie Rose Hudson WriteBonnieRose.com 42 .