Part of the American History & Genealogy Project

Distinguished Literary Women Davenport to French

Frances G. Davenport
Miss Davenport studied history at Radcliffe College (Harvard Annex), from which college she received the degrees of B.A. and M.A.; at Cambridge University, England, and at Chicago University. From the last-named institution she received the degree of Ph.D. (in 1904). She taught history at Vassar College during the year 1904- 1905, and since 1905 has been an assistant in the Department of Historical Research in the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Until she became connected with the Carnegie Institution, she worked in English Economic History, and published two books and several articles in that field. Of these, the principal one was a book on "The Economic Development of a Norfolk Manor." Since her connection with the Carnegie Institution began, she has compiled in collaboration, with Professor C M. Andrews, a "Guide to the Manuscript Materials for the History of the United States to 1783, in the British Museum, Minor London Archives, and the Libraries of Oxford and Cambridge." Has published in the American Historical Review (1909) an article on "Columbus's Book of Privileges," and has been and is now engaged in compiling and editing a collection of "Treaties relating to the territory now included within the United States, to which the United States was not a party."

Hannah Amelia Davidson 1852 ~
Born in Campello, Massachusetts, October 29, 1852. Daughter of Spencer Williams and Mary Packard Noyes. In 1878 married Charles Davidson. Student and teacher of Sanskrit Teacher of Greek, Latin, and English history, and principal of the Minneapolis Academy at one time. Taught history and English in the Belmont School, California. Student and graduate of the University of Chicago in economics, history and politics. Lecturer on literature, art in fiction, and the drama for Wellesley and Mount Holyoke colleges. Author of "Reference History of the United States," ''The Gift of Genius," author and publisher of "The Study Guide Series," also "Study Guide Courses." Edited with aids to study and critical essays, "Riverside Literature Series," "Silas Marner" "Vicar of Wakefield,'' "House of Seven Gables," "Vision of Sir Launfal,'' "Irving's Sketch Book." and "Franklin's Autobiography."

Margaret Deane 1831 ~
Was born July 22, 1831, in New York City; was a public school teacher in the city of New York from 1846 to 1848, and later in San Francisco, California; author of books for children; for ten years was grand president of the Catholic Ladies' Aid Society of San Francisco. Her husband was the late James R. Deane.

Adelaide Margaret Delaney 1875
Was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1875; assistant at the University Settlement, and collector of data for the Bureau of Child Labor in New York City; editor of the Woman's Department of the Philadelphia Record; has lectured on the Catholic attitude in social work; author of a series of lectures on "Jottings of a Journalist in England, France and Ireland"; contributor to Ladies Home Journal and active advocate of Home Rule for Ireland and suffrage for women.

Mary Clare De Graffenried 1849 ~
Miss De Graffenried was born in Macon, Georgia, May 19, 1849. Collector of statistics for the Bureau of Labor of the United States. Has collected data on industrial and sociological subjects in the United States, Belgium and France. Has contributed to magazines on these subjects.

Margaretta Wade Deland 1857 ~
Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, February 23, 1857. In 1880 married Lorin F. Deland, of Boston. Author of the well-known novel, "John Ward, Preacher," "The Old Garden and Other Verses," "Philip and His Wife," "Florida Days," "Sydney," "The Story of a Child," "The Wisdom of Fools," "Mr. Tommy Dove and Other Stories," "Old Chester Tales," "Dr. Lavender's People," "The Common Way," "The Awakening of Helena Richie,** which has become as famous as John Ward, Preacher," and has been dramatized.

Mary Elizabeth Dewey 1821 ~
Born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, October 27, 1821. Daughter of Orville and Louisa (Farnham) Dewey. Author of "Life and Letters of Catherine Sedgwick," and "Autobiography and Letters of Orville Dewey."

Anna Elizabeth Dickinson 1842 ~ 1932
Who is an author, playwright, actress, philanthropist and public speaker. She was born in Philadelphia, October 28, 1842. Her parents were Quakers and she was educated at the Friends' Free School. She began her public career by speaking on slavery and temperance. In 1861 she was given a position in the United States Mint, in Philadelphia but was removed because of the charges against General McClellan, which she made in a public address. In 1864 she donated to the Freedman's Relief Society a thousand dollars, the proceeds of one lecture. In 1876 she made her first appearance on the stage in a play from her own pen, called "A Crown of Thorns." She tried other parts, but her career met with disaster. Her principal success has been in the lecture field. She is the author of "A Ragged Register of People, Places and Opinions."

Mary Mapes Dodge 1838 ~
For many years editor of St. Nicholas, and through this magazine she endeared herself to the youth of America. Mrs. Dodge was a native of New York City, where she was born January 26, 1838. Her father was Professor James J. Mapes, one of the first promoters of scientific farming in the United States. When quite young, she married William Dodge, a lawyer of New York, and after his death took up the vocation of literature as a means of educating her two sons. At first her writings were short sketches for children, a volume of which was published in 1864 under the name of "Irvington Stories." This was followed by "Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates." She was engaged with Harriet Beecher Stowe and Donald G. Mitchell as one of the editors of Hearth and Home, conducting the children's department of that journal for several years. From this she became editor of St. Nicholas in 1873, and continued in that position until her death in 1905. Her famous story, "Hans Brinker," has been translated into Dutch, French, German, Russian and Italian. She also published a number of other volumes of prose and poetry and contributed to the principal magazines of the country, the Atlantic, Harper's and the Century.

Helen James Dole
Born in Worcester. Daughter of William Montgomery and Frances Fletcher Bennett. Translator of Victor Hugo's "Ninety-Three," Theuriet's "Abbe Daniel," Pierre Loti's "Iceland Fisherman," Theuriet, "Rustic Life in France," Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac," also orations of Marat, and many other French books.

Ella Loraine Dorsey 1853 ~
Miss Dorsey was born in Washington, D. C, March 2, 1853. Daughter of Lorenzo and Anna Hanson Dorsey. Is a graduate of the Visitation Convent, Georgetown, D. C. For many years special correspondent for Washington, Chicago, Boston, and Cincinnati papers. Indexer and Russian translator. Scientific Library, United States Department of the Interior. Is a member of the advisory board of Trinity College, the Catholic college for the higher education of women in the United States, located in Washington, D. C. Member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Colonial Dames, and other patriotic societies. Has contributed able articles to the magazines and has written many stories, among them "Midshipman Bob," "The Two Tramps," "The Taming of Polly," "Pickle and Pepper," "Pocahontas," "The End of the White Man's Trail."

Alice May Douglas 1865 ~
Born in Bath, Maine, June 28, 1865. Daughter of Joshua Lufkin and Helen Lauraman Harvey Douglas. Writer of Sunday School lessons for the primary department in Sunday School journals. Active worker in the missionary societies of the Methodist Church. Delegate to the Boston Peace Congress. Founder of the Peace Makers' Band, and the author of several volumes of verse and songs, also stories and booklets. Contributor to magazines and religious papers.

Mrs. George Sheldon Downs 1843 ~
Born at Wrentham, Massachusetts, June 5, 1843. Daughter of Edward A. and Malvina Ware Forbush. Writer of fiction in serial stories and books under the pen name of "Mrs. Georgie Sheldon." Among them, "A Brownie's Triumph," "A True Aristocrat," "Betsy's Transformation," "Gertrude Elliot's Crucible."

Agnes Catherine Doyle
Was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and is the daughter of Edward and Margaret Keating Doyle; is reference librarian in the Boston Public Library; assisted in editing a contribution to the bibliography of the United States navy, compiled by Charles T. Harbeck; author of the "History of the Winthrop School, of Boston"; reviser of a list for finding genealogies of towns and local histories in the public library of Boston; has contributed articles on current topics to magazines and newspapers.

Martha Claire Doyle 1869 ~
Born in Boston, June 16, 1869. Daughter of Henry and Anne Lande MacGowan. In 1896 she married James R. Doyle. Is the author of "Little Miss Dorothy," "Wide-Awake," "Jimmy Sutor and the Boys of Pigeon Camp," "The Boys of Pigeon Camp; Their Luck and Fun," and "Mint Julep," a story of New England life.

Elaine Goodale Eastman 1863
Born at Mount Washington, Massachusetts, October 9, 1863. Daughter of Henry S. and Dora H. (Read) Goodale. In 1891 married Charles A. Eastman. In her early youth wrote verses, in connection with her sister. From 1883 to 1891 was teacher and supervisor of Indian schools and has written magazine and newspaper articles on Indian life and character and the education of Indian children.

Julia Arabella Eastman
Daughter of Rev. John and Prudence D. Eastman. Associate principal of Dana Hall, Wellesley. Author.

Mary Emilie Ewing 1872 ~
Was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, November 13, 1872. Her husband was a relative of Mrs. W. T. Sherman, wife of the distinguished general, and also of Edgar Allan Poe. Mrs. Ewing contributes to the religious press of Cincinnati and Chicago and has written some creditable poems.

Fannie Merritt Farmer 1857 ~
Born in Boston, March 23, 1857. Daughter of John Franklin and Mary (Watson) Farmer. Principal of Miss Farmer's School of Cookery since 1892. Author of many works on domestic science, among them "The Boston Cooking School Cook Book," "Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent."

Annie Adams Fields 1864 ~
Born in Boston, June 6, 1834. Daughter of Dr. Zabdiel Boylston and Sarah May (Holland) Adams. In 1854 married James Thomas Fields, of Boston, who died in 1881. Has written "Memoirs of James Fields," "Whittier; Notes of His Life and Friendship," "Authors and Friends," "Nathaniel Hawthorne," "The Singing Shepherd," and other poems.

Alice Cunningham Fletcher 1845 ~
Was born in Boston in 1845. Was the author of the plan of loaning small sums of money to aid Indians to buy land to build houses for themselves, and active in securing land to the Omaha tribe.
Under this act was appointed special agent to allot the Omaha tribe and also appointed by the President, special agent for the Winnebago tribe in 1887. Is ex-president of the Anthropological Society of Washington. Did work in this connection for the Chicago Exposition. Is holder of the Thaw fellowship and officer in the Archaeological Institute of America. Has written on Indian life and song and many papers on anthropology and ethnology. One of the famous women scientists of America.

Lydia Stirling Flintham
Author and lecturer; was born on the family plantation in Cecil County, Maryland. Her family were of English ancestry, and came to New Castle, Delaware, in the early days of our country's history. Miss Flintham is a lecturer on English composition and literary topics; has written many stories, and has for several years been the editor of the juvenile department of the Good Counsel Magazine, contributor to Donahoe's, Rosary, Metropolitan, Catholic World and other Catholic magazines.

Edna Abigail Foster
Born in Sullivan Harbor, Maine. Daughter of Charles W. and Sarah J. Dyer Foster. Contributor to journals and magazines. Editor at one time of The Household; also associate editor of the Youth's Companion since 1901, and the author of several stories.

Mary Crawford Fraser 1851 ~
Was born in Rome, Italy, in 1851. Daughter of Thomas Crawford, the sculptor, and Louise Ward, who was the niece of the late Julia Ward Howe and sister of Marion Crawford. In 1873 she married Hugh Fraser, who was sent on a diplomatic mission to Japan, Vienna and other foreign countries. Mrs. Fraser is the author of a number of books, some of which are "A Diplomatist's Wife in Many Lands," "The Brown Ambassador" and ''The Splendid Porsena."

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman 1862 ~ 1930
Was born in Randolph, Massachusetts, in 1862. Her father was a native of Salem and was a descendant of Bray Wilkins of good old Puritan stock. Her mother was a Holbrook, one of the old families of Massachusetts. The family early removed to Brattleboro, Vermont, and with Mr. J. E. Chamberland she wrote "The Long Arm" for which they received a two thousand dollar prize offered by a newspaper. Like many other writers she was largely influenced by the people about her and associated with her early life and that of her family. Barnabas, one of the characters in her story, "Pembroke," was drawn from Randolph. Losing her father and mother and sister, she returned to Randolph and took up her residence. Her story "A Humble Romance" was considered by Phillips Brooks the best short story ever written. In 1893, she wrote a play. "Giles Corey, Yeoman" a drama of the early Puritan days. 'The Heart's Highway" is another of her stories of Colonial times, and "The Portion of Labor" In 1902 she married Dr. Charles Manning Freeman, of Metuchen, New Jersey, where she now resides.

Alice French (Octave Thanet) 1850 ~ 1934
Miss French took a nam de plume to hide her identity, there being an unmistakably masculine tinge in many of her writings. Her real name is Alice French, she was born in Andover, Massachusetts, March 19, 1850. Her father was George Henry French, a man of important business connections and comfortable means. The family were descended from Sir William French who settled in Massachusetts in the seventeenth century, and one of his descendants took part in the Revolutionary War, receiving the name of the "Fighting Parson of Andover." Miss French's grandfather on her mother's side was Governor Marcus Morton, and some of her ancestors were numbered among those who came to this country in the Mayflower. Miss French is a graduate of Vassar College. Her first story was printed in Godey's Magazine. Her story entitled "The Bishop's Vagabond,' published in the Atlantic Monthly, in 1884, was the beginning of her substantial literary fame. Her story "Expiation" is considered very strong, as is "Knitters in the Sun.'

Women of America

Source: The Part Taken by Women in American History, By Mrs. John A. Logan, Published by The Perry-Nalle Publishing Company, Wilmington, Delaware, 1912.