Webster’s Schoolhouse

Noah Webster Fast Facts

Young Noah

• Noah Webster was born on October 16, 1758, in West Hartford, CT.¹
• The name, Webster, is derived from English origin, meaning “female weaver.”
• Noah did not want to become a farmer. In fact, sometimes he would sneak away from his farm chores and rest under apple trees to study Latin Grammar.²

Education

• At the age of 16, Webster attended Yale (1774-1778) and was the only one of his five siblings to receive formal education past grammar school. His father was committed to his son’s education, even mortgaging the family farm to pay Noah’s tuition.³
• Noah loved music and dancing, exhibited by his role at the head of the Yale militia, proudly playing the flute.
• Upon the newly elected George Washington’s arrival in New Haven, Webster organized a group of Yale students to escort Washington and his men out of town, as Noah led the group playing “Yankee Doodle Dandy” on his flute.⁴
• According to historian Harlow Unger, Webster was “a close friend and confidant of notable American leaders, such as Benjamin Franklin.”⁵ In fact, on May 24, 1786, Webster sent his Grammatical Institute of the English Language to Franklin, having been inspired by Franklin’s own alphabet reform in his work.
• Webster also wrote to leaders such as George Washington, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton.

Married Life

• In 1787, Webster met his future wife, Rebecca Greenleaf, and spent the next two years winning her and her family over, who initially looked down on Webster for his inferior financial status. However, Greenleaf fell for Webster and they wed on October 26, 1789.⁶ 
• According to Unger, in 1798, “Webster and his family settled ‘in a large, old fashioned mansion,’” in New Haven, CT, “built by [famous American military officer] Benedict Arnold, for which Webster paid $2,666.66.”⁷
• Over the course of their marriage, Noah and Rebecca had six daughters and two sons.⁸

Writings

• Webster began working on his Dictionary in 1801. His first edition, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1806. This book offered brief definitions of about 37,000 words.⁹
• Webster’s masterpiece, An American Dictionary of the English Language, was published in 1828 and contained 70,000 words. This work took Noah 27 years to compile and was published when he was 70 years old.¹⁰ 
• Possibly as many as 100 million copies of the “Blue-Backed Speller” were sold by the 19th century. However, Webster received less than one cent per copy from the 25 million “Blue-Backed Spellers” sold in his lifetime.¹¹

Politics

• Webster was very outspoken and frequently pointed out the flaws of others, particularly those who held powerful positions. For example, Webster was invited to the White House for dinner in December 1830 under the Jackson administration. Webster was uncomplimentary of this event, writing that the “table was garnished with artificial flowers placed in gilt urns.” Webster also critiqued the food served, stating, “as to dining at the President’s table in the true sense of the word, there is no such thing.”¹²
• Webster was likely not elected to the Constitutional Convention because of a letter he wrote in the Connecticut Courant following Shays Rebellion.¹³ 

Legacy

• Webster remained committed to education throughout his life. He believed that the survival of the United States depended on its educated people.
• Webster died in 1843 at the age of 84. He is buried in New Haven’s Grove Street Cemetery.¹⁴ 
• Noah’s New Haven home was saved by Henry Ford and moved to Greenfield Village, Michigan.