John Dabney

{{For|the American general|John A. Dabney}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

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File:John_Dabney,_1752-1819._Miniature,_oval,_by_William_Verstile_(page_110_crop).jpg

John Dabney (1752–1819) was a postmaster, publisher, and bookseller in Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born in Boston in 1752 to Charles Dabney and Elizabeth Gardner.{{Citation

|publisher = Printed for the Society

|location = Salem

|title = First Centenary of the North Church and Society, in Salem, Massachusetts

|date = 1873

|oclc = 3098011

|ol = 6427312M

}} With Thomas C. Cushing, John Dabney published the Salem Mercury newspaper, 1787-1789.{{Citation

|publisher = Charles C. Little and James Brown

|location = Boston

|title = Specimens of Newspaper Literature

|author = Joseph T. Buckingham

|date = 1850

|oclc = 1387302

|ol = 23338800M

|author-link = Joseph T. Buckingham

}}{{citation |title=Salem Mercury |date= October 10, 1789 }} In 1790 he married Abigail Mason Peale (1767-1834).{{citation |title=Boston Gazette |date=July 5, 1790 |title-link=Boston Gazette }} Beginning around 1790 he ran the "Salem Book-Store" which offered books for sale or short-term rental;{{citation |title=Salem Gazette |date=November 16, 1790 }}{{citation |title=Salem Book-Store & Circulating Library |work=Columbian Centinel |date= July 7, 1792 }} customers included William Bentley.{{Citation

|publisher = Essex Institute

|location = Salem, Mass.

|author = William Bentley

|title = Diary of William Bentley

|date = 1905

|ol = 23294385M

}} Dabney also served as Salem postmaster ca.1792-1815.{{Citation

|publisher = W. & S.B. Ives

|location = Salem

|title = Annals of Salem

|author = Joseph B. Felt

|edition = 2nd

|date = 1845

|ol = 7053127M

}}{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/unitedstatesoff06deptgoog |title=Table of Post Offices in the United States |location= Washington City |publisher= Post-Master General |year= 1811 }}{{citation |title=Salem Gazette |date= October 10, 1815}} He belonged to the North Church in Salem{{cite book |url=http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011608266 |title=Catalogue of the Members of the North Church in Salem, with an Historical Sketch of the Church |location= Salem |publisher= W. & S.B. Ives |year= 1827 }} and the Essex Lodge of the Freemasons.{{citation |author=William Leavitt |title= History of the Essex Lodge of Freemasons |work= Historical Collections of the Essex Institute |volume=3 |number=4 |date= August 1861 |hdl= 2027/uva.x000958981 }} Dabney sold the contents of his shop at auction in 1818.{{citation |title=Boston Daily Advertiser |date= September 4, 1818 |title-link= Boston Daily Advertiser }}{{citation |title=Valuable Catalogue of Books being the Extensive Library Belonging to John Dabney, Esq., consisting of between 6 and 7000 volumes in divinity, history, philosophy, travels, biography ... to be sold at auction ... by Jonathan P. Saunders, auctioneer |year= 1818 }} He died in 1819.{{citation |title=Essex Register |date= October 23, 1819 |title-link= Salem Register }}