Garrison was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on December 10, 1805. His parents were part of the "middling ranks" of their town.(1) His mother, Fanny Garrison, as Garrison would be, was extremely religious, owning much of her patience in her life to Providence and the Lord. His father, Abijah Garrison, was quite the opposite. Though also somewhat religious, he was better known for his taste for rum and his overriding desire to avoid work. This difference would eventually prove to be too much. Eventually, Abijah walked out on his family, leaving Fanny alone with the children and pennyless.
This would have an impact on Garrison, as his mother's religiousness would become a visible source of strength for her. Fanny also tried to dominate her childrens' lives in order to keep them away from Abijah's weaknesses. She succeeded for the most part in all but Lloyd's (as she called him) ability to handle money. He would for much of his life be poor. As a result, Garrison often borrowed money which he tended to not repay.
In order to make money, his mother moved out of Newburyport to a small town named Lynn. During this time, Garrison stayed with a neighbor and the deacon of the Baptist Church. He did not especially enjoy this time (it lasted about 3 years) and his mother disliked being away from him. Soon thereafter they moved to Baltimore. Garrison, however, did not stay for long, as he desired to return to school and to Newburyport. He soon returned and went back to school.
Soon thereafter, Fanny realized that Garrison would need to begin work, as her health was failing Garrison was going to be her only source of income. After considerable difficulty finding a trade for Garrison, he began to work at the Newburyport Herald. Here, he found happiness and a calling at which he excelled. The editor immediately liked the young Garrison, and apprenticed Garrison for a term of seven years. It was here that Garrison would really begin his education.
The Herald gave Garrison considerable experience. Garrison "graduated" an expert printer and had instilled in him the conservative viewpoints which would shape much of his outlook on the world. In his time there, he made many friends, including his future partner in the creation of the Liberator, Isaac Knapp.
His friends described him as "an exceedingly genteel young man, always neatly, and perhaps I might say elegantly dressed, and in good taste, and was quite popular with the ladies."(2) He continued in this position for quite some years, meeting many people who influenced his life. Among them, Caleb Cushing was the man who brought slavery to Garrison's attention. Cushing was a young Harvard lawyer who found slavery to be unchristian, writing and speaking with friends about this issue constantly. Cushing also convinced Garrison to read about a variety of other subjects which would shape his world outlook, including readings on American foreign policy, for example.
In 1823, Garrison returned to Baltimore at the request of his mother for a final visit. He remained until she died. After taking care of her funeral in Baltimore, he returned to Newburyport. He continued to work for the Herald for a short while, then moved on to forming his own paper, and other small scale activities. During this time his beliefs about abolition and other issues were still kept privately, not really appearing too much in his writing.
In 1826, Garrison moved to Boston, unemployed and searching for opportunity. He moved from paper to paper for a while, but really formulated more of his religious views at the Boston church of Lyman Beecher and Nathaniel Taylor. He enjoyed speaking with these men and found a certain truth in their religious beliefs.
Soon he moved on to the National Philanthropist. He befriended Reverend William Collier, who ran a boardinghouse where many clergyman and missionaries gathered to speak about pressing social issues. This was a temperance paper with a decided religious bent. Eventually, Garrison moved into the editorial role where he began to refashion the paper to his personal style. It was during this period that he met Benjamin Lundy, and began the next stage in his life.
2.
Thomas, p. 19.