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Janie Laursen
Professor Sánchez-Eppler
November 28, 2011
Historical Context: Author Biographies
At least seventeen children contributed to the Charlieshope Library, though because I was
unable to definitively assign authors to eight of the manuscripts, this number may be an
underestimate. Most of these contributors wrote only one or two books to the library. Ellen Day
Hale, however, authored at least twelve by herself (and I suspect a few of the anonymous titles
are hers) as well as coauthored three more stories. Because she was the primary contributor to
the library, and because it remained in the custody of her family, it seems clear that the
Charlieshope was largely Ellen’s endeavor. It is fortunate that Ellen comes from a notable family
not only because it allowed the library to end up in the Smith Special Collections, but also
because information about Ellen and her family are readily available.
Ellen Day, nicknamed “Nelly,” was born on February 11, 1855, the first child and only
daughter of Edward Everett Hale and his wife Emily. The Hales were members of the Boston
cultural elite, and the family was full of famous and influential people1. Her father, who was
named after his maternal uncle who was an orator and statesman, was a renowned journalist,
author, and Unitarian minister2. At his own request, Edward began attending school with his
siblings at age two, and later matriculated at Harvard at age 13, where he graduated second in his
class. In his early adulthood, he worked as a legislative reporter for Boston’s Daily Advertiser, a
Boston daily newspaper his father both owned and edited, while simultaneously studying to be a
minister, a profession he held until his death. Nelly’s father early on developed a deep social
conscience, and throughout his life publicly opposed slavery and advocated for public education
reforms and religious tolerance. This activism influenced his writing, as Edward turned both to
1
2
Peet, Phyllis, "Hale, Ellen Day," American National Biography Online, Oxford UP, 2000.
Bosha, Francis J., "Hale, Edward Everett," American National Biography Online, Oxford UP, 2000.
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journalism and fiction to express his political beliefs. He founded two political magazines, Old
and New and Lend a Hand. He is today most famous for his story “The Man without a Country,”
published in 1863 to rally support for the Union during the Civil War.
Nelly’s paternal grandfather, Nathan Hale Sr., was a journalist who, as previously
mentioned, owned and operated the Daily Advertiser, which was Boston’s first daily newspaper
and one of the first American papers to feature regular editorial articles3. Nathan and his wife
Sarah (who was herself well educated, often contributed to her husband’s paper, and wrote
several children’s books) moved several times within Boston, but stayed at the center of the
cultural and political scene of the city. The couple largely ran the newspaper out of a basement
office, and their entire family was involved in the publication process, a situation that likely
influenced their children’s creation of the Franklin Circulating Library. Because of Nathan’s
position as editor, the family was also privileged with copies of newly published books as well as
tickets to cultural events around Boston.
Several of Nathan and Sarah’s other children – Nelly’s aunts and uncles – were also quite
successful in different ways. Nathan Hale Jr. continued to co-edit his father’s Daily Advertiser as
well as edited Old and New with Edward4. Charles Hale founded Today, a Boston Literary
Journal (which failed after a year), was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives,
served as consul-general in Cairo, Egypt after illness forced him to resign, and later returned to
Massachusetts where he was elected to the House of Representatives5. Edward’s sister Lucretia
Peabody Hale, was a prolific author most well-known for her children’s stories about the
Peterkin family, which were nonsensical but realistic stories that parodied Victorian codes of
conduct for children. She also helped edit both Old and New and Today with her brothers,
3
"Hale Family Papers: Biographical and Historical Note," Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College.
Ibid.
5
Ibid.
4
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founded several culinary arts institutes, and was the first woman to serve on the Boston School
Board6. Another of the sisters, Susan Hale, was a writer and painter. Sarah taught, both as a
school tutor and later giving art lessons, edited several journals, and wrote (with her brother
Edward) several travel books for children, which she illustrated, as well as wrote six books on
her own7.
Nelly’s maternal family was not without its share of influential members, either. Emily
Baldwin Perkins Hale, Nelly’s mother, was the niece of Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Ward
Beecher, Catharine Beecher, and Isabella Beecher Hooker. Harriet Beecher Stowe, of course,
remains famous today for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and Henry is remembered as a preacher,
speaker, and abolitionist. Catherine Beecher was also an author, most well-known for her
Treatise on Domestic Economy, which reflected her advocacy for women’s scientific education
in an effort to professionalize homemaking. Isabella Beecher Hooker was an author as well, and
was also a leader in the women’s suffrage movement.
This impressive catalogue of prominent family members created a highly literary
atmosphere for Nelly’s childhood. In 1861, Nelly’s created a “Book of Tastes,” a book in which
visitors fill out a questionnaire on their tastes. Nelly’s responses show not only that by age six
not only was she in school (“[Favorite] Hour for Visits: Not much choice, I can’t see them when
I’m off at school, the afternoon is the best time”), but she was already reading at a high level, as
she lists Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and the Lays of Ancient Rome by Thomas Babington
Macaulay as her favorite books.
In addition to establishing the Charlieshope Library, Nelly also curated a newspaper of
her own: the family publication The Meteor. Clearly influenced by her family’s involvement
6
7
Stone, Susan M., "Hale, Lucretia Peabody," American National Biography Online, Oxford UP, 2000.
Hirshler, Erica E., "Hale, Susan," American National Biography Online, Oxford UP, 2000.
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with journalism, The Meteor included notices for family events (the rest of the family was
invited to watch them perform plays or play chess, for instance), literary notices for books being
released to the Charlieshope, serialized fiction, and even advertisements and want ads (my
favorite, from the premier issue: “Wanted: Two hours time daily for the next six months. These
hours must be exactly sixty minutes long and be delivered punctually every morning at fifty-nine
minutes past eleven.”).
Most important of the extended family to Nelly’s future was her aunt Susan Hale, the
artist and teacher. Nelly’s mother encouraged her children to draw as they were growing up, and
their aunt Susan gave them their first art lessons8. This predilection is clear in Nelly’s
contributions to the library, many of which include several detailed illustrations.
Perhaps the most detailed of Nelly’s illustrations is this scene from Peggy’s Stories
8
Peet.
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Both Nelly and her younger brother Philip Leslie Hale (who did not contribute to the
library) continued on to become professional artists9. Nelly was one of the first American women
to receive professional artistic training equal to what was available men, beginning her studies
with William Rimmer in 1873 before entering an art school for women run by William Morris
Hunt. In 1877, Nelly opened her own studio to support herself, as even though the Hales were at
the cultural center of Boston, they were never wealthy enough to not worry about money10. She
and her aunt Susan exhibited pieces together at the Boston Art Club in 187811. Nelly painted on
commission and both taught at the Marlborough School and privately tutored in art. In 1881 she
went to Europe for further training with a friend, where she studied in several places in France.
Nelly continued to study and practice art for the rest of her life, identifying as an “American
Impressionist” and testing different experimental styles12. Perhaps her most famous work is her
Self-Portrait, in which she, unconventionally, looks assertively out at the viewer13.
Left: Ellen Day Hale’s Self-Portrait (1885)
Right: Photo of Ellen Day Hale, likely taken as a study for her Self-Portrait (c. 1884) from the Hale Family Papers
Collection at the Sophia Smith Collection (not my scan)
9
"Hale Family Papers: Biographical and Historical Note
Peet.
11
Hirshler.
12
Peet.
13
Fitzpatrick, Tracy, "Ellen Day Hale: painting the self, fashioning identity,"Woman's Art Journal 31.1 (2010):
28+.Academic OneFile.
10
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Nelly was an intellectual in other ways, as well. She was fluent in six languages, and
followed in her literary family’s footsteps by moonlighting as a journalist and author; she wrote
art reviews while in Europe for the Boston Traveler, and wrote a short book entitled History of
Art: A Study of the Lives of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titan, and Albert Dürer, which
was published in 1888. Throughout her life, Nelly’s permanent home remained in Brookline,
Massachusetts, first with her parents and later with close companion Gabrielle Clements, and
was finally forced into a nursing home there in her old age. She died on her birthday in 1940,
exactly 85 years old.
Nelly’s brother Arthur, born in 1859 and the second eldest of the Hale children, was the
only other family member to contribute to the Charlieshope Library; he wrote The Historey [Sic]
of a Tin Soldier Parts One and Two, The Enchanted House, and The Book of Fortune, though the
last is hardly a book at all, rather a sort of game to determine the player’s future, as well as coauthored Novel Without a Name with his sister. That Nelly and Arthur were the only Hales in the
Charlieshope is likely due simply to their age. Though most of the books are undated, the dates
that are listed range between 1866 and 1869, when Nelly was 11 to 14 and Arthur was between
seven and ten. The next oldest of the children, Edward Everett Jr., wasn’t born until 1863,
making him too young to contribute. Unlike Nelly, Arthur’s future did not include art. Instead,
he went into railroads, working for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and the American
Railway Association. He married in 1899, fathered one daughter, and died in 1939 at age 80.
Yet even though Nelly seemed to be the most involved in the library project, and the
information about her family is the most readily available, I was also curious about the other
contributors- who they were, how they knew Nelly, and what happened to them. Unfortunately,
none of the other children came from families as prominent as the Hales, making finding answers
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to these questions difficult or, in many cases, impossible. Although many of the children were
untraceable as children or as adults, I was able to find information about several of them.
I was particularly curious about Mary Morse. Though she only contributed three books
(one of which was co-authored with Nelly), she was clearly an important figure in the enterprise
because many of the books are tagged as “Published by Morse, Hale, & Co.” Unfortunately,
both Mary and Morse were common names, and Mary never reveals her middle initial, making
the search less precise. However, I found one particularly hopeful looking Mary Morse who
lived in the same area as the Hales during the 1870 census, who was 16 at the time, making her
just a year older than Nelly14. Mary is listed as “at school,” making it a possibility that she and
Nelly were classmates.
Another sister-and-brother pair of contributors was Mabel and Herman Chapin, who
contributed two books and one book respectively. At the time of the 1870, the Chapin family was
living in Brookline, Norfolk County, Massachusetts15. Mabel was 13 and Herman was 11, which
makes Mabel about two years younger than Nelly and Herman the same age as Arthur. If the
children met through school, it is likely that the brothers became friends first; in the 1870 census
Ellen is still listed as at school16, while Mabel is already “at home.” Their family appears well
off; their father is listed on the census form as a “provisions dealer,” a seller of food goods, and
the value of their family’s real estate is listed as $65,000, and their father has a personal estate
value of $46,000. In comparison, the Hale family listed just $18,000 of real estate value the same
year. Both Mabel and Herman turn up later when they applied for passports; Mabel never
14
Year: 1870; Census Place: Boston Ward 12, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: M593_647; Page: 211A; Image: 428;
Family History Library Film: 552146.
15
Year: 1870; Census Place: Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: M593_634; Page: 140B; Image: 287; Family
History Library Film: 552133.
16
Year: 1870; Census Place: Boston Ward 15, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: M593_649; Page: 404B; Image: 308;
Family History Library Film: 552148.
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married, continued to live in Brookline17, and traveled back and forth from Liverpool several
times, while Herman moved to Seattle and took his daughter on a trip around the world18. I was
unable to find the profession of Mabel, and it seems unlikely she had one, as her occupation field
was left blank in the 1900 census19, and listed as “none” in 191020. Herman was in real estate at
the time of the 1910 census21.
Lucy Parsons (The Fairy Who Lived in a Tree) was born in the April of 1854 in
Brookline, Norfolk County22. She attended school until the age of 15 or 1623, never married, and
moved to Boston with her elder sister24. What her profession was is unclear; the occupation field
is left blank on her census forms until 1910, when “own income” is written in with no
explanation of what that might mean25.
For several of the children, I was only able to find one or two small details about their
lives. Mary Lesley, author of Harry and Anny, or who I believe to be the correct Mary Lesley,
was a bit older than Nelly, as she was born in 1853, and lived in Boston Ward 1, Suffolk,
Massachusetts at the 1860 census, but then disappears26. Olivia B. Lowell, who wrote both The
Haunted House and The Faithless Servant, only shows up in the records with a death certificate:
17
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington D.C.; Passport Applications, January 2,
1906 - March 31, 1925; ARC Identifier 583830 / MLR Number A1 534; NARA Series: M1490; Roll #1716.
18
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington D.C.; Passport Applications, January 2,
1906 - March 31, 1925; ARC Identifier 583830 / MLR Number A1 534; NARA Series: M1490; Roll #1638.
19
Year: 1900; Census Place: Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T623_669; Page: 7B; Enumeration District:
1024.
20
Year: 1910; Census Place: Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_608; Page: 15A; Enumeration District:
1095; Image: 548; FHL Number: 1374621.
21
Year: 1910; Census Place: Seattle Ward 3, King, Washington; Roll: T624_1659; Page: 8A; Enumeration District:
0150; Image: 307; FHL Number: 1375672.
22
Year: 1860; Census Place: Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: M653_514; Page: 742; Image: 658; Family
History Library Film: 803514.
23
Year: 1870; Census Place: Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: M593_634; Page: 135A; Image: 276; Family
History Library Film: 552133.
24
Year: 1900; Census Place: Mattapoisett, Plymouth, Massachusetts; Roll: T623_674; Page: 8A;
Enumeration District: 1133.
25
Year: 1910; Census Place: Boston Ward 11, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_618; Page: 29A;
Enumeration District: 1424; Image: 532; FHL Number: 1374631.
26
Year: 1860; Census Place: Boston Ward 1, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: M653_520; Page: 32; Image: 36; Family
History Library Film: 803520.
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she died in 1870 at age 15 of Peritonitis, an inflammation of the thin membrane on the abdominal
wall27. The other authors were, unfortunately and disappointingly, completely untraceable.
With so few and sparse biographical sketches, it is difficult to generalize about the
children, I feel a few trends emerge. Firstly, from the meager details provided by the censuses, it
seems a safe assumption that at least the majority of the children were from middle-class
families. The Chapin children and Lucy Parsons, at least, had fathers with jobs that provided a
comfortable wage. This presumption is both supported by the fact that all the children, and
especially the girls, seem to have been well-educated, staying in school at least until age 16.
Though it may seem basic, this class privilege – to be able to send their children to school for
extended periods of time – is absolutely essential to the library’s scope and very existence.
Comfortable family status would have allowed the children the time to participate in such play,
and a good education allowed them to find enjoyment in doing so; if writing were difficult
technically, making books may not have been enjoyable. Instead, the manuscripts consistently
show impressive, if a bit dull, storytelling skills and overwhelmingly correct grammar and
spelling. The wide range of genres the children wrote about, including sports stories, rebel
stories, fairy tales, ghost stories, and adventure stories to name a few, seems to be made possible
by the children’s status as educated and widely read.
It is also interesting that none of the children besides Nelly who were involved with the
Charlieshope, as far as I can tell, grew to become professional writers. This contrasts sharply
with the proprietors of the Franklin Circulating Library, as all of the Hale children involved
(including Lucretia) grew up to become authors of some sort. One explanation for this
divergence could be the different gender dynamics between the generations. Perhaps, unlike
27
United States. Nonpopulation Census Schedules for Massachusetts, 1850-1880. T1204, rolls 9-10, 17, 22-23, and
37-40. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.
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Nelly who clearly had independent female role models in her family to serve as inspirations or
mentors, the girls who wrote for the library felt unable to pursue artistic professions because of
their gender. Another possibility is that the other children were simply not as invested in the
project as Nelly. I think, however, that the most important implication of this detail is that it
emphasizes that the primary role of the library was as play. That the children found enjoyment in
making the books but never became professional authors or artists (except Nelly, and her
writings seem more a reflection of her love of art than of writing) characterizes the library with a
sense of unreserved lightheartedness. Although the children took pride in their books – Nelly
was effusive in her reviews in The Meteor – the pride seems to stem not from viewing their work
as practice for a future career but from each book as its own entity and from the satisfaction of
producing a story they enjoyed writing and hoped others would enjoy reading as well.