author
Frederick W. (Frederick William) Thomas
1806–1866
A 19th-century American man of letters, he moved easily between poetry, journalism, fiction, and songwriting. He is also remembered for his friendship and correspondence with Edgar Allan Poe, which keeps his name close to the literary world of the 1840s.
1 Audiobook
The Emigrant or Reflections While Descending the Ohio
by Frederick W. (Frederick William) Thomas
About the author
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1806, Frederick William Thomas was raised in a family connected to publishing and journalism. He studied law in Baltimore and was admitted to the bar in 1828, but literature and newspapers pulled him in another direction.
Over the years, he worked as a journalist, editor, poet, novelist, and songwriter. His books include The Emigrant as well as novels such as Clinton Bradshaw, East and West, and Howard Pinckney. He also taught English literature at the University of Alabama and later held federal clerkships, balancing literary work with public service.
Thomas is often noted today for his place in the wider American literary scene of his time, especially through his friendship with Edgar Allan Poe and the surviving letters between them. His career shows how many writers of the period built their lives across several worlds at once: newspapers, books, public office, and the fast-growing culture of American magazines.