Background
Gilbert was born in 1754, probably in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, where the Imlay family first settled in the early 18th century.
( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
https://www.amazon.com/Emigrants-History-Expatriated-Family-Delineation/dp/1376908751?SubscriptionId=AKIAJRRWTH346WSPOAFQ&tag=prabook-20&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1376908751
Gilbert was born in 1754, probably in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, where the Imlay family first settled in the early 18th century.
During the Revolution Gilbert served in the American army as first lieutenant (1777 - 78), and, though there is apparently no further record, it is possible that he later attained the rank of captain, by which he came to be known. The war over, he turned toward the West.
As early as March 1783 he had purchased a tract of land in Kentucky; and by April of the following year he had arrived in that district, where he presently became a deputy surveyor and engaged in further and extensive speculations in land. Soon, however, he was in financial and legal difficulties. In November or December 1785 he left Kentucky; and before the end of the following year Imlay had left the continent of North America. At any rate the Kentucky courts, in spite of repeated endeavors during a number of years, were unable to locate him; and nothing more is definitely known of his activities until 1792.
He published in 1792 in London A Topographical Description of the Western Territory of North America. This well-known work, certainly not completed before November 1791, purports to have been written from Kentucky; but both the biographical facts already cited and internal evidence are against this claim. Similar reasons lead to the conclusion that Imlay's novel, The Emigrants (1793), was actually written after his arrival in Europe.
As early as March 1793 he had become a figure of some importance in French political affairs. The man who in his Kentucky days had had dealings with James Wilkinson and Benjamin Sebastian, both later involved in intrigues with the Spanish authorities, was now allied with Brissot and his associates who were scheming to seize Louisiana from Spain. In the character of an American well acquainted with the Western country, he addressed at least two communications regarding this project to the Committee of Public Safety - Observations du Cap. Imlay, and the much longer Memoire sur la Louisiane, the latter of which presents a carefully prepared argument in favor of the expedition to capture Louisiana. It is clear from extant correspondence that Imlay himself expected to take an active part in this expedition, which, however, was delayed until the downfall of the Brissotins effectually ended their intrigues.
When his political power was apparently at an end, he turned to commercial ventures the exact nature of which remains unknown but which soon involved him again in serious financial difficulties.
In 1828 was the last information about him: the parochial register of St. Brelade's in the Island of Jersey records the burial of a Gilbert Imlay, who was, in all probability, the American adventurer.
Gilbert Imlay was known as one of the earliest American writers, who produced two books, the influential A Topographical Description of the Western Territory of North America, and a novel, The Emigrants. Both his works promoted settlement in the North American interior. Perhaps, he is also known today for his brief relationship with British feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft.
( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
A liaison with Mary Wollstonecraft, begun early in 1793, was later continued by him apparently only for the sake of her faithful aid in straightening out his business affairs in the Scandinavian countries, to which she made a voyage in his behalf, armed with a power of attorney describing her as "his best friend and wife. " There was, however, no formal marriage; and Mary, who had borne him a daughter, Fanny, in 1794, strove in vain to retain his affections. The story of Imlay's ungenerous conduct, resulting in Mary's two attempts to take her own life, is told partly in her letters and partly in the Memoirs of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1798), written after her death by William Godwin. She saw Imlay for the last time in the Spring of 1796.
