| Elizabeth Fries Lummis Ellet | |
| Born | October 18, 1818 Sodus Point, New York |
|---|---|
| Died | June 3, 1877 (aged 58) New York City |
| Occupation | author, historian, poet, translator |
| Spouse | William Henry Ellet (1806-1859) |
| Parents | William Nixon Lummis, (1775-1833) Sarah Maxwell (1780-1849) |
Elizabeth Fries Lummis Ellet (October 18, 1818 – June 3, 1877) was an American writer, historian and poet. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 1818 ( MDCCCXVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Sodus Point is a village in Wayne County, New York, United States. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The City of New York An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" Translation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text likewise called a " translation Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 1818 ( MDCCCXVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common She was the first writer to record the lives of women who contributed to the American Revolutionary War. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" [1]
Born Elizabeth Fries Lummis, in New York, she published her first book, Poems, Translated and Original, in 1835. She married the chemist William Henry Ellet and the couple moved to South Carolina. She had published several books and contributed to multiple journals. In 1845 she moved back to New York and took her place in the literary scene there. She was involved with a public scandal involving Edgar Allan Poe and Frances Sargent Osgood and, later, another involving Rufus Wilmot Griswold. Edgar Allan Poe (January 19 1809 – October 7 1849 was an American poet, short-story Writer, editor and Literary critic, Frances Sargent Osgood ( Née Locke (June 18 1811 – May 12 1850 was an American poet and one of the most popular women writers during her time Rufus Wilmot Griswold (February 13 1812 – August 27 1857 was an American anthologist, editor, Poet, and Critic. Ellet's most important work, The Women of the American Revolution, was published in 1845. The three volume book profiled the lives of patriotic women in the early history of the United States. She continued writing until her death in 1877.
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Elizabeth Fries Lummis was born in Sodus Point, New York, on October 18, 1818. Sodus Point is a village in Wayne County, New York, United States. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 1818 ( MDCCCXVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Her mother was Sarah Maxwell (1780-1849)[2][3] the daughter of American Revolutionary War captain John Maxwell. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" John Maxwell may refer to John Maxwell (archbishop (d 1647 Scottish prelate Archbishop of Tuam Bishop of Ross General Sir John Maxwell During the Revolution, John Maxwell was lieutenant of the first company raised in Sussex County, New Jersey, he was promoted to captain, and attached to the Second Regiment Hunterdon County Militia. The County of Sussex (also known as Sussex County) is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. [4] He was also a captain in Colonel Spencer's regiment of the Continental Army, from February 7, 1777, to April 11, 1778. Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince Year 1777 ( MDCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Year 1778 ( MDCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or He later joined the Army of General George Washington as captain of a company of 100 volunteers known as "Maxwell's Company. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the [5]
Her father was William Nixon Lummis (1775-1833), a prominent doctor who studied medicine in Philadelphia under the famous physician Dr. Benjamin Rush. Benjamin Rush ( December 24 1745 &ndash April 19 1813) was a Founding Father of the United States. [5] In the early part of 1800, Dr. Lummis left Philadelphia and purchased the Pulteney estate in Sodus Point, Wayne County, New York. The Pulteney Association was a purchaser in 1792 of a large portion of the Western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. Sodus Point is a village in Wayne County, New York, United States. Wayne County is a county located in the US State of New York. [6] Elizabeth Lummis attended Aurora Female Seminary in Aurora, New York, where she studied, among other subjects, French, German, and Italian. Aurora is the name of some places in the US state of New York Aurora Cayuga County New York (a village Aurora Erie County New York Her first published work, at age 16, was a translation of Silvio Pellico's Euphemio of Messina. Silvio Pellico ( 24 June 1788 &ndash 31 January 1854) was an Italian writer poet Dramatist and patriot [7]
In 1835, Elizabeth Lummis published her first book, entitled Poems, Translated and Original, which included her tragedy, Teresa Contarini, based on the history of Venice, which was successfully performed in New York and other cities. Around this time she married William Henry Ellet (1806-1859), a chemist from New York City. The City of New York [8]He graduated from Columbia College in New York and earned a gold medal for a dissertation on the compounds of cyanogen. History Columbia College was founded as King’s College by royal charter of King George II of England in the Cyanogen is the Chemical compound with the formula ( C[[nitrogen N]]2 The couple moved to Columbia, South Carolina, when he was made professor of chemistry, mineralogy, and geology at South Carolina College in 1836. Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the US state of South Carolina. This article is about the University of South Carolina in Columbia He also discovered a new and inexpensive method of preparing guncotton, for which the state of South Carolina presented him with a service of silver plate. Nitrocellulose (also cellulose nitrate, flash paper) is a highly flammable compound formed by Nitrating Cellulose through exposure to [9]
During this time Ellet published several books. In 1839 she wrote The Characters of Schiller, a critical essay on the writer Friedrich Schiller and included her translation of many of his poems. Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller krɪstɔf friːtʁɪç fɔn ʃɪləʁ/ʃɪlɐ (10 November 1759 9 May 1805 was a German Poet, Philosopher [10] She wrote Scenes in the Life of Joanna of Sicily, a history of the life styles of female nobility, and Rambles about the Country, a lively description of the scenery she had observed in her travels through the United States, in 1840. [11] She continued writing poems, translations, and essays on European literature which she contributed to the American Monthly, the North American Review, the Southern Literary Messenger, the Southern Quarterly Review, and other periodicals. The Southern Literary Messenger was a Periodical published in Richmond, Virginia, from 1834 until June 1864. Ellet wrote abundantly in a wide variety of genres. [12]
In 1845, Ellet left her husband in the south and moved back to New York City where she resumed her place as a member of literary society along with such writers as Margaret Fuller, Anne Lynch Botta, Edgar Allan Poe, Rufus Wilmot Griswold, Anna Cora Mowatt and Frances Sargent Osgood. Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli (May 23 1810 – July 19 1850 was a Journalist, Critic and Women's rights activist associated with the American Anne Charlotte Lynch Botta ( November 11 1815 - March 23 1891) was an American poet, Writer, Teacher Edgar Allan Poe (January 19 1809 – October 7 1849 was an American poet, short-story Writer, editor and Literary critic, Rufus Wilmot Griswold (February 13 1812 – August 27 1857 was an American anthologist, editor, Poet, and Critic. Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie (1819 – 1870 was an Author, Playwright, public reader and Actress. Frances Sargent Osgood ( Née Locke (June 18 1811 – May 12 1850 was an American poet and one of the most popular women writers during her time
During this time Ellet was a participant in a notorious scandal involving Edgar Allan Poe and Frances Sargent Osgood, both of whom were married to others. Accounts as to the particulars of the scandal and the sequence of events differ. At the time, Poe was at the height of his fame, thanks to his work, "The Raven". " The Raven " is a narrative poem by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845 A number of women active in literary society sent him letters, including Ellet, and Osgood. Some of the letters sent may have been flirtatious or amorous ones. Ellet also spent time with Poe discussing literary matters. It is possible that Ellet felt in competition with Osgood for Poe's affections. [1] During this time Poe had written several poems to and about Osgood, including "A Valentine". This article lists all known poems by American author and critic Edgar Allan Poe ( January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) [13]
On one visit to Poe's home in January 1846,[14] Ellet allegedly observed letters from Osgood, shown to her by Poe's wife Virginia, and subsequently advised Osgood to ask for their return, implying to Osgood that they were an indiscretion. Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe (born Virginia Eliza Clemm) (August 22 1822 &ndash January 30 1847 was the wife of Edgar Allan Poe. [14] On behalf of Osgood, Margaret Fuller and Anne Lynch Botta asked Poe to return the letters. Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli (May 23 1810 – July 19 1850 was a Journalist, Critic and Women's rights activist associated with the American Anne Charlotte Lynch Botta ( November 11 1815 - March 23 1891) was an American poet, Writer, Teacher Poe, angered by their interference, suggested that Ellet had better "look after her own letters". [15] One such letter, written in German, asked Poe to "Call for it at her residence this evening", a phrase presumably meant to be seductive, though Poe ignored it or did not understand it. [16] He then gathered up these letters from Ellet and left them at her house. [14] Despite her letters already having been returned, Ellet asked her brother "to demand of me the letters". [15] Her brother, Colonel William Lummis, did not believe that Poe had already returned them and threatened to kill him. In order to defend himself, Poe requested a pistol from Thomas Dunn English, who did not believe that Ellet ever sent Poe any letters. Thomas Dunn English (June 29 1819 - April 1 1902 was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey who represented the state's 6th congressional [14]
Osgood's husband, Samuel Stillman Osgood, threatened to sue Ellet unless she formally apologized. Samuel Stillman Osgood ( June 9, 1808 &ndash 1885) was a 19th century American portrait painter She retracted her statements in a letter to Osgood saying, "The letter shown me by Mrs Poe must have been a forgery created by Poe himself". [17] She put all the blame on Poe, suggesting the incident was because Poe was "intemperate and subject to acts of lunacy. "[18] The rumor that Poe was insane was spread by Ellet and by other enemies of Poe and eventually reported in newspapers. [19] After Osgood reunited with her husband, the scandal died down. [18] Poe's sick wife Virginia, however, was deeply affected by the scandal. She had been receiving anonymous letters, possibly from Ellet, which reported her husband's alleged indiscretions as early as July 1845. On her deathbed Virginia claimed that "Mrs. E. had been her murderer. "[20] As Poe described years later: "I scorned Mrs. E simply because she revolted me, and to this day she has never ceased her anonymous persecutions. "[21]
Around 1846, Ellet began a major project in historical writing; to profile the life stories of women who sacrificed and were committed to the American Revolution. She did this by searching out private, unpublished letters and diaries, and by interviewing descendents of Revolutionary era and frontier women. She was the first historian of the Revolution to carry out such an effort. [8]
She found so much information about so many female patriots that the first edition of The Women of the American Revolution (1848) had to be published in two volumes. These volumes were well received and a third volume of additional material was published in 1850. Later historians consider these volumes her most important work. [11]In addition, Ellet also authored Domestic History of the American Revolution which summarized the same material in narrative form, which was also published in 1850.
Ellet told the stories of women from every colony and from all ranks of society, with the exception of African Americans, whose role she chose to ignore. Some of the women she wrote about, such as Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren and Ann Eliza Bleecker, among others, were famous in their own right. Martha Custis Washington (née Dandridge) ( June 2, 1731 &ndash May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first Abigail Adams (née Smith (November 11 1744 &ndash October 28 1818 was the wife of John Adams, the second President of the United States, and mother of John Mercy Otis Warren ( September 14, 1728 &ndash October 19, 1814) was an American writer and playwright Ann Eliza Bleecker (1752 – November 23 1783 was an American poet and Correspondent. She also wrote of the women who were more obscure but equally valuable, the wives of heroes, who in the face of British encroachment, bravely raised children and defended their homes. [22] She wrote: "It is almost impossible now to appreciate the vast influence of woman's patriotism upon the destinies of the infant republic. "[22]
Anthologist and critic Rufus Wilmot Griswold had aided Ellet in the production of the book and granted her access to the records of the New York Historical Society, of which he was a member. Rufus Wilmot Griswold (February 13 1812 – August 27 1857 was an American anthologist, editor, Poet, and Critic. She did not acknowledge his assistance, angering the vindictive Griswold. [23] In a review Griswold said, "with the assistance of a few gentlemen more familiar than herself with our public and domestic experience, she has made a valuable and interesting work". [24]
Now an established and respected author, Ellet went on to write Family Pictures from the Bible in 1849. In 1850, she wrote Evenings at Woodlawn, a collection of German legends and traditions and Domestic History of the American Revolution, possibly the only history of the American Revolution told from the perspective of both men and women. From 1851 to 1857 she wrote Watching Spirits, Pioneer Women of the West, Novelettes of the Musicians and Summer Rambles in the West. This book was inspired by a boating trip along the Minnesota River in 1852. The Minnesota River is a Tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km long in the U The local town, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, got its name from Ellet and has dedicated a nature trail in her honor. Eden Prairie is an Edge city 12 miles (22 km southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County and the 12th largest city in the U [25]
In 1857, Ellet published a 600 page encyclopedia on American home economics entitled The Practical Housekeeper. The guide, which seemed to target middle to upper class, was well organized into three parts: cooking, housekeeping and pharmaceutical concerns. Its contents included thousands of recipes and advice, with references to philosophers, scientists, and ancient civilizations. There were also 500 wood engraving illustrations. She wrote in the Preface "No complete system of Domestic Economy, within the limits of a convenient manual, has been published in this country. "[8]
Later works included Women Artists in All Ages and Countries (1859), the first book of its kind to represent a history of women artists . [26] She wroteThe Queens of American Society (1867), and Court Circles of the Republic (1869), a look at the social life of eighteen presidents from George Washington to Ulysses S. Grant. Ulysses S Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27 1822 &ndash July 23 1885 was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States [24]
In 1850, Ellet and her husband relocated to New York, where he spent his final years as a chemical consultant for the Manhattan Gas Company. Consolidated Edison Inc is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States with approximately $13 billion in annual revenues and $30 billion in assets
Ellet became involved with the divorce case between Rufus Griswold and his second wife, Charlotte Myers, in 1852. Rufus Wilmot Griswold (February 13 1812 – August 27 1857 was an American anthologist, editor, Poet, and Critic. She and Ann S. Stephens wrote to Myers telling her not to allow the divorce, as well as to Harriet McCrillis, who intended to marry Griswold after the divorce, to end her relationship with him. Ann Sophia Stephens (1813&mdash1886 was an American novelist Born in Derby Connecticut, she was an author of Dime novels and is credited as the [27] After it was granted, Ellet and Stephens continued writing to Myers and convinced her to repeal the divorce on September 23, 1853. Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Year 1853 ( MDCCCLIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common [28] On February 24, 1856, the appeal went to court, with Ellet and Stephens providing lengthy testimony against Griswold's character. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 1856 ( MDCCCLVI) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Neither Griswold nor Myers attended and the appeal was dismissed. [29] When Griswold died in 1857, Sarah Anna Lewis, a friend and writer, suggested that Ellet had worsened Griswold's illness and that she "goaded Griswold to his death". [30]
In 1857 Ellet replaced Ann Stephens as literary editor of the New York Evening Express. Ann Sophia Stephens (1813&mdash1886 was an American novelist Born in Derby Connecticut, she was an author of Dime novels and is credited as the [31] Ellet's husband died two years later in 1859. She continued to write, and although they had no children, she promoted charities for impoverished women and children by speaking in public to raise funds. An Episcopalian most of her life, she converted to Catholicism in her later years. The Episcopal Church is the official name of the Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States. As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described [8] She died of Bright's disease in New York City on June 3, 1877,[2] and was buried beside her husband at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that would be described in modern Medicine as acute or chronic Nephritis Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. [3]
Ellet was the first historian to extensively write about the relationship of women to the American Revolution. She felt that women shaped history by their influence, which was done with "sentiment" and "feeling". This was so hard to define that she stated "History can do it no Justice". [32] Her book The Women of the American Revolution is still studied by historians today.
List of works taken from MSU Historic American project [8].
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ellet, Elizabeth Fries Lummis |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | writer, poet, translator |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 18, 1818 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Sodus Point, New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 3, 1877 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | New York City, New York |