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Part of the American
History & Genealogy Project |
Amelia Edith Barr 1831 ~ 1919
Alemlia E. Barr
Among the foremost of American writers
is Amelia Barr. She was born in Ulverston, Lancashire, England,
in 1831. Her maiden name was Amelia Edith Huddleston. Her father
was the Reverend Doctor William Henry Huddleston, and her first
introduction into the literary field was when she served as a
reader to her father.
She was educated in Glasgow and in 1850
married Robert Barr, a Scotchman, and four years later they came
to this country. They made their residence in several states, in
New York, the South and West, finally settling in Austin, Texas.
In 1867, the yellow fever was epidemic
in Austin. Mr. Barr became famous through his work among the
Indians and white settlers of this city. Doctors and nurses
dying on all sides, he gave up his life in his unselfish
devotion to poor suffering humanity.
Mrs. Barr lost not only her husband but
three sons in this terrible epidemic, and after it was over she
returned to New York City. Her first literary venture was
brought out through the kind personal interest of the editor of
the New York Ledger, Mr. Robert Bonner, and was a story
published in the Christian Union. She did all kinds of literary
work wrote advertisements, circulars, paragraphs and verses.
Her first great success came in 1885 in
the publication of "Jan Vedder's Wife." Three other
books followed: "Scottish Sketches," "Cluny
MacPherson," and ''Paul and Christina." but none
equalled "Jan Vedder's Wife." "The Bow of Orange
Ribbon" is a delightful picture of New York in provincial
days, as is ''The Maid of Maiden Lane." One of her
later books, "The
Lion's Whelp' a story of Cromwell's time, is
considered one of her strongest books.
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.
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