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Part Taken by Women in American History


in Mobile, Alabama, and here in 1868 she married L. M. Wilson. Her first novel was "Inez," which met with only moderate success, but in 1859 "Beulah" appeared, and she won instantaneous literary fame. During the war she published "Macaria," and it is said that this book was printed on coarse brown paper, and copyrighted by the Confederate States of America. It was dedicated by her to the soldiers of the Southern army. It was seized and destroyed by the Federal officers, but was subsequently reprinted in the North, and met with a large sale. After the war Mrs. Wilson removed to New York City, and here she published her famous book, "St. Elmo." This was followed by one hardly less popular, "Vashti," later, one entitled "Infelice," and "At the Mercy of Tiberius." Mrs. Wilson died in 1909.

LOUISE CHANDLER MOULTON.

Mrs. Moulton was born in Pomfret, Connecticut, April 5, 1835. She early began to contribute to periodicals under the name of "Ellen Louise," and was but nineteen years of age when she published her first book, entitled "This, That, and the Other." In 1855 she married William U. Moulton, a publisher of Boston. After her marriage she wrote short stories for magazines, and is the author of a novel, "Juno Clifford." From 1870 to 1876 she was the literary correspondent of the New York Tribune, and also contributed a weekly letter to the Sunday Herald, of Boston ; wrote letters during her travels abroad from London and Paris for American newspapers. In 1877 she edited two volumes of verse, "Garden Secrets" and "A Last Harvest." She is especially fortunate in her stories for children. Mrs. Moulton died in 1908.

SARAH MORGAN BRYAN PIATT.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, August 11, 1836. Her grandfather, Morgan Bryan, was a relative of Daniel Boone and one of the earliest settlers in the state of Kentucky. He emigrated from North Carolina with Boone's party and his "station," near Lexington, known as "Bryan's Station," was one of the principal points of attack by the Indians who invaded Kentucky from the Northwest in 1782. Mrs. Piatt's early childhood was passed near Versailles, where her mother, Mary Speirs, who was related to the Stocktons and other early Kentucky families, died when Mrs. Piatt was but eight years of age. She was placed by her father in the care of her aunt, Mrs. Boone, in Newcastle, where she received her education. George D. Prentice, the editor of the Louisville Journal, was an intimate friend of the family, and through his paper Mrs. Piatt's poems first received recognition. On June 18, 1861, she became the wife of John James Piatt, and went with her husband to reside in Washington, D. C. In 1867 they removed to Ohio, and lived on a part of the old estate of General W. H. Harrison, in North Bend. In 1886 she published a volume of poems in London, and others followed in the United States, among them "The Nests at Washington, and Other Poems," "A Woman's Poems," "A Voyage to the Fortunate Isles," etc. Mrs. Piatt contributed to many of the leading magazines of that time. In 1882 Mr. Piatt was sent to Ireland as consul of the United States at Cork, and while residing there Mrs. Piatt