when was the first snowfall by james russell lowell written
James Russell Lowell Maria was in poor health, and the couple moved to Philadelphia shortly after their marriage, thinking that her lungs could heal there.[24] In Philadelphia, he became a contributing editor for the Pennsylvania Freeman, an abolitionist newspaper.[25] In the spring of 1845, the Lowells returned to Cambridge to make their home at Elmwood. They had four children, though only one (Mabel, born 1847) survived past infancy. Blanche was born December 31, 1845, but lived only fifteen months; Rose, born in 1849, survived only a few months as well; their only son Walter was born in 1850 but died in 1852.[26] Lowell was very affected by the loss of almost all of his children. His grief over the death of his first daughter in particular was expressed in his poem "The First Snowfall" (1847).[27] He again considered suicide, writing to a friend that he thought "of my razors and my throat and that I am a fool and a coward not to end it all at once".[26]