Fields was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His father was a sea captain and died before Fields was three.^[1] At the age of 14, Fields took a job at the Old Corner Bookstore in Boston.^[1] His first published poetry was included in the Portsmouth Journal in 1837 but he drew more attention when, on September 13, 1838, he delivered his "Anniversary Poem" to the Boston Mercantile Library Association.^[2]