90:. By July 1774, Cottnam had returned to Salem, Massachusetts, and with her young daughter, opening a boarding and day school that was attended by the young daughters of the colonist establishment and the loyalist gentry. This was also done to supplement the family income when her husband became ill. The school taught young girls arithmetic, dancing, French, reading, sewing and writing. Such pupils were the daughters of
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in 1777. She persuaded the Nova Scotia government to lease her extra land, citing her husband's "avow'd principles & fix'd attachment to
Government" and she received 1,000 acres (400 ha) in a remote area that she could not settle on sell for a profit. Cottnam and her daughter continued to
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when the establishment in
Halifax became unappreciative of her. While she was happy in Saint John, the family financial situation continued to be difficult. Cottnam received an annual government pension of £100 transferred to her after Edward How's widow died in 1793 and that same year returned to
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Edward How and his first wife, the Irish-born
Deborah Crawley. On May 19, 1728, Cottnam was baptized in Marblehead. From 1732 to 1744, she was brought up on the isolated fishing community of Grassy Island, Canso, which is located in the far north-eastern tip of the
22:(c. 1725/1728 – December 31, 1806) was a Canadian poet and schoolmistress. She and her daughter opened a boarding and day school attended by the young daughters of the North American colonist establishment and loyalist gentry, firstly in
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Cottnam was married to the Ensign Samuel
Cottnam circa 1742 until his death in 1780. The couple had at least two children. On December 31, 1806, she died in Windsor, Nova Scotia.
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67:, where her father worked. Cottnam was possibly educated at home by either both of her parents or by a private tutor. She and her family were sent to
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operate their school in
Halifax until 1786 when the family of loyalists persuaded her to establish a new school for young women in the city of
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written by Louis K. York stated: "it is clear that her career exemplified the best of the dame-school tradition in colonial
America."
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holds a manuscript of her works compiled by her granddaughter and which was acquired by the university in 2007.
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wrote that she had "established highly respected women's schools in the
Maritimes." Her entry in the
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Not much is known about the life of
Cottnam from 1744 to 1774. She and her family were resident in
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She also wrote poetry under the pen name "Portia." Many of
Cottnam's poems were published in the
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191:"Researching Eighteenth-Century Maritime Women Writers: Deborah How Cottnam – A Case Study"
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Working in Women's
Archives: Researching Women's Private Literature and Archival Documents
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between 1762 and 1773 before returning to Nova Scotia, possibly living in
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54:. She was the sole daughter of four known children of the Irish or
30:. Cottnam opened a new school for young girls in the city of
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Yorke, Lois K. (September 23, 2004). "Cottnam , Deborah".
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Cottnam was born approximately 1725 to 1728, in either
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436:. The Canadian Writing Research Collaboratory.
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264:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
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193:. In Buss, Helen M.; Kadar, Marlene (eds.).
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510:19th-century Canadian women educators
440:from the original on October 27, 2021
390:from the original on October 29, 2021
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132:University of California, Los Angeles
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376:Marshall, Tabitha (March 24, 2008).
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490:19th-century Canadian women writers
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122:between June 16, and 23, 1845 by
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475:Canadian people of Irish descent
317:Dictionary of Canadian Biography
203:Wilfrid Laurier University Press
16:Canadian poet and schoolmistress
505:19th-century Canadian educators
428:Gerson, Carole (May 18, 2018).
219:from the original on 2021-11-20
101:Following the outbreak of the
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434:Canada's Early Women Writers
278:UK public library membership
500:19th-century Canadian poets
495:18th-century Canadian poets
310:Kernaghan, Lois K. (2003).
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189:Davies, Gwendolyn (2006).
103:American Revolutionary War
383:The Canadian Encyclopedia
226:– via Google Books.
153:The Canadian Encyclopedia
112:Saint John, New Brunswick
44:Marblehead, Massachusetts
34:before retiring in 1793.
32:Saint John, New Brunswick
480:Writers from Nova Scotia
69:Île-Royale (New France)
270:10.1093/ref:odnb/69670
430:"Deborah How Cottnam"
378:"Deborah How Cottnam"
322:University of Toronto
65:Nova Scotia peninsula
515:Canadian women poets
107:Halifax, Nova Scotia
88:Windsor, Nova Scotia
84:Salem, Massachusetts
60:justice of the peace
46:, which is close to
28:Halifax, Nova Scotia
24:Salem, Massachusetts
58:-born merchant and
20:Deborah How Cottnam
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73:Cape Breton Island
52:Canso, Nova Scotia
276:(Subscription or
212:978-0-88920-871-1
199:Waterloo, Ontario
79:on May 24, 1744.
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56:New England
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201:, Canada:
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26:and later
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38:Biography
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