An interesting historical paragraph recently contributed, states that in
1798 Edward O’Brien printed in New Haven, Conn., his “School Dictionary:
Being a compendium of the latest and most improved dictionaries,” which
exists in two copies—the British Museum copy (perfect) and the Yale
College Library copy (lacking ten pages). This was the first dictionary
by an American author published in this country. It has no date, but is
thought to have been issued towards the end of 1798. Its author, who
taught school in Guilford, Conn., was born there March 10, 1757, and
died there August 20, 1836. Soon after its publication its author and
the Rev. John Elliott (1768–1824, great-great-grandson of John Elliott,
the Indian apostle) prepared the second American dictionary, which was
copyrighted in June, 1799, and published in January, 1800.