Elias Nason

He started working for a paper mill in Framingham, Massachusetts, in 1826, and attended school on the side.

[2] He spent five months as principal of Cambridge Latin Grammar School, and in 1836 married Myra Anne Bigelow.

After leaving Cambridge Latin, he sailed for Charleston, South Carolina, with naturalist John E.

During the American Civil War, he served on the Christian Commission, writing and lecturing in support of the Union.

[2] He was a successful lecturer, spoke several languages, was a member of many learned societies, and at one time edited the New England Historical and Genealogical Register (1866 and 1867).