Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History
Benson Lossing, Ed.

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Mother Goose,

The alleged author of a collection of popular nursery rhymes. Mrs. Goose was of a wealthy family in Boston, Mass. Her eldest daughter married Thomas Fleet, an enterprising printer, and Mrs. Goose lived with them. When their first child was born she was delighted, and spent nearly the whole time in singing songs and ditties which she had learned in her youth, to please the baby. The unmusical sounds annoyed everybody, and especially Fleet, who loved quiet. He remonstrated, coaxed, scolded, and ridiculed, but in vain. He could not suppress the old lady; so he resolved to turn the annoyance to account by gathering up and publishing the songs, ditties, and nonsensical jingles of his mother-in-law, and punishing her by attaching her name to them. In 1719 they were published in “Pudding Lane” (afterwards Devonshire Street), Boston, with the title of Songs for the nursery; or, mother Goose's Melodies for children.