He was a Yale graduate
Webster was born into a well-established family in Hartford's Western Division, which later became West Hartford, Connecticut. His mother Mercy (Steele) Webster (1727-1794) was a descendant of Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Colony, and his father Noah Webster Sr. (1722-1813) was a descendant of Connecticut Governor John Webster. His father was largely a farmer, but he was also the town's militia leader, a deacon of the Congregational church, and the founder of a local book society (a precursor to the public library). He was chosen to be a justice of the peace upon American independence.
Although Webster's father never went to college, he valued education and was intellectually interested. The mother of Webster spent many hours instructing her kids in arithmetic, music, and spelling. Webster started attending a decaying one-room elementary school established by West Hartford's Ecclesiastical Society when he was six years old. Years later, he claimed that the subject matter was primarily religious teaching and called the professors "the dregs of mankind." Webster was inspired to enhance future generations' educational opportunities by his experiences there.
His church pastor started coaching him in Latin and Greek when he was fourteen years old to get him ready for Yale College. Just before turning 16, Webster attended Yale and studied for his final year with Yale President, Ezra Stiles. His four years at Yale coincided with the American Revolutionary War, and many of his lessons had to be conducted in neighboring cities due to food shortages and the threat of a British invasion. In the Connecticut Militia, Webster served. To send Webster to Yale, his father had mortgaged the family farm. He graduated in 1778. Webster decided to study law while working as a teacher in Hartford because he believed his job choices were restricted with only a liberal arts degree. In 1781, he finished his studies and passed the bar test. He earned his master's degree at Yale after presenting his oral dissertation there.
