Benson John Lossing was born on February 12, 1813, in Beekman, New York, to John and Miriam Lossing. His father was a farmer who died around 1813, and his mother passed away around 1824. After his mother’s death, he was apprenticed to Adam Henderson, a watchmaker in Poughkeepsie, New York. Once his apprenticeship was complete, the two formed a partnership around 1833. Two years later, Lossing became editor of the Poughkeepsie Telegraph, and he began publishing a literary journal called the Poughkeepsie Casket in 1836.

 

He married Alice Barrit on June 18, 1833, and their daughter Cora was born around 1844. They moved to New York City in 1838, and he edited the weekly Family Magazine from 1839 until 1841. By 1850, he was working as an engraver, and he owned $5,000 of real estate. In 1853, he published a Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, which reportedly won widespread acclaim. His wife died around 1855, and he married Helen Sweet on November 18, 1856. Their son John was born around 1858. By 1860, he was an “author and artist,” and he owned $8,000 of real estate and $45,000 of personal property. He published dozens of history books over the next several decades. The family moved to Dover, New York, around 1868, and he died there on June 3, 1891.

 

Image: Benson John Lossing (courtesy Wikicommons)

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