The Life and Origins of Frederick Mayhew Born in Chilmark on 6 July 1785, Frederick Mayhew was a native of the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. His early years were rooted in this coastal landscape, a setting that would eventually inform the visual language of his professional life. As a young man, he entered into marriage with Zelinda Tilton on 10 April 1802. This union marked the beginning of a domestic life that would see the arrival of their only child in 1812. The biographical details of Mayhew's early existence were often obscured by historical confusion. For many years, sc…