John Frost

Originally from Kennebunk, Maine, John Frost (1800–59) was both a Philadelphia teacher and a Boston principal before pursuing a prolific career in writing. Frost produced more than 300 volumes, including travel accounts, captivity narratives, and history volumes of all sorts. The father of ten was put to the task of writing to keep his family financially afloat, something he would find more than challenging in his later years. His historical writings are noted for their strong sense of 19th-century American nationalism.