David Frothingham

Written By Dino DiPietro

Here's a detailed account of David Frothingham and his role in Sag Harbor’s history:

📰 Early Life & Arrival in Sag Harbor

  • Born October 8, 1765, in Charlestown, Massachusetts

  • Relocated to Sag Harbor in 1791 with his wife Nancy T. Pell, establishing a print shop, bookstore, and bindery on Main Street near Annie Cooper Boyd's house

Establishing Long Island's First Newspaper

  • Launched Frothingham’s Long‑Island Herald, the first newspaper on Long Island, with its debut on May 10, 1791

  • He served multiple roles—publisher, editor, reporter, ad salesman, paperboy, and printer—operating weekly print runs from a hand-cranked flatbed press at his Sag Harbor home

  • The Herald spanned nearly 400 issues over seven years, continuing until about 1798

Involvement in Politics & Legal Trouble

  • Moved to New York circa 1799 to work for the Argus, a Republican newspaper.

  • Reprinted charges implicating Alexander Hamilton in suppressing a rival paper. Hamilton sued Frothingham under the Alien and Sedition Acts, claiming seditious libel

  • Convicted—fined $100 (paid by a friend), required to post a $2,500 bond, and spent four months in Bridewell Prison

  • Unable to post bond, he worked as a seaman to raise money

Disappearance, Death, & Legacy

  • Disappeared after attending a political rally in Bridgehampton around 1798–1799 and never returned to Sag Harbor

  • Nancy Pell continued publishing the Herald until about 1802, then sold it

  • Reportedly died at sea off the coast of Africa in 1814; his gravestone, with birth and death dates, stands in Oakland Cemetery in Sag Harbor

  • Family lore suggests he “took ill” during his maritime journey

Commemoration in Sag Harbor

  • In 2018, the Press Club of Long Island and Sag Harbor Historical Society installed a historical marker at 180 Main Street—the original site of Frothingham’s print shop—to honor his pioneering role

David Frothingham’s story encapsulates the birth of journalism on Long Island and reflects early American conflicts over press freedom. His brief but impactful tenure in Sag Harbor left a lasting legacy, now commemorated by a historic marker and a gravestone honoring his memory.

Dino DiPietro