From today’s Writer’s Almanac:
Hawthorne began the novel shortly after he was fired from his position at the Salem Custom House, and spent almost all of his time working on it from June 1949 through February 1850.
Yes, Nathaniel Hawthorne was a time-traveler. Little-known fact: he was actually one of the first incarnations of Doctor Who.
(Yes, yes, I know. It’s a typo. It might even be fixed by the time you see this link. Bah. You’re no fun anymore.)