author
M. J. (Michael Joseph) Canavan
1848–1931
A Boston-area lawyer, local historian, and historical novelist, he wrote with a deep affection for early New England. His books and papers helped preserve stories of Lexington, Cambridge, and colonial Boston for later readers.
1 Audiobook
Ben Comee : A tale of Rogers's Rangers, 1758-59
by M. J. (Michael Joseph) Canavan
About the author
Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, on September 5, 1848, Michael Joseph Canavan studied at Harvard and later earned a law degree there. He also worked in business, including the sale of building materials, while building a reputation as a careful researcher of local history.
Canavan published articles and papers on old New England, especially Boston, Cambridge, and Lexington. He was closely involved with historical and literary societies, and his surviving papers show how much time he devoted to tracing land records, family histories, and the everyday life of colonial Massachusetts.
He also wrote historical fiction, including Ben Comee, bringing the same regional knowledge to his storytelling. He died on April 12, 1931, remembered as a writer who helped keep early New England history vivid and accessible.