Guild, Benjamin, 1749-1792

Benjamin Guild lived from 1749 to 1792. Thus, he witnessed the American Revolution from his home in Boston, Massachusetts. He was born in Wrentham, Massachusetts on April 17, 1749. He was the son of Benjamin and Abigail (Graves) Guild. Guild received his Bachelor of Arts (1769) and his Master of Arts (1772) degrees from Harvard College. As a Presbyterian pastor he preached in several Massachusetts communities including Dedham, Haverhill, and Cambridge. Guild was a Latin tutor at Harvard College from 1776 to 1780. In the late 1770's he became a bookseller in Boston and opened the Boston Book Store on King Street, later known as Washington Street. Besides selling books, he issued printed catalogues and opened a circulating library. Guild helped found the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Massachusetts (1780), managed the subscriptions for the Academy's journal, and was a member of the editorial board of The Boston Magazine. On May 27, 1784, Guild married Elizabeth Quincy. They were members of the Presbyterian Church in Brattle Square and accumulated a large amount of real estate in the North End of Boston. Benjamin died in Boston and was buried on October 17, 1792. Elizabeth died in August 1825. The Guild's had two children who graduated from Harvard College, Benjamin (1804) and Josiah Quincy (1807).