Martha Finley Popular Books

Martha Finley Biography & Facts

Martha Finley (pen name: Martha Farquharson; April 26, 1828 – January 30, 1909) was an American teacher and author of numerous works for children, the best known being the 28-volume Elsie Dinsmore series which was published over a span of 38 years. Her books tend to be sentimental, with a strong emphasis on religious belief. The daughter of Presbyterian minister Dr. James Brown Finley and his wife and cousin Maria Theresa Brown Finley, she was born on April 26, 1828, in Chillicothe, Ohio. She died in 1909 in Elkton, Maryland. Early years Martha Finley was born on April 26, 1828, in Chillicothe, Ohio. Her father. Dr. James B Finley, was the oldest son of General Samuel Finley, a Revolutionary officer, major in the Virginia line of cavalry, afterward general of militia in Ohio, and of Mary Brown, daughter of one of Pennsylvania's early legislators. Her maternal grandmother was the daughter of Thomas Butler, who was a great-grandson of that Duke of Ormond who was influential in making the treaty of Utrecht. The Finleys and Browns were of Scotch-Irish descent and had martyr blood in their ancestry. The name of their clan was Farquarharson, the Gaelic of Finley, and for many years Miss Finley used that name as her pen-name. The Butlers were military men. Five of Miss Finley's great-uncles of that name were in the war of the Revolution, two of them on George Washington's staff. One of her great-uncles, Dr. Samuel Finley, was one of the early presidents of Princeton College. Her grandfathers, both on her father's and mother's side, were wealthy. Her grandfather Finley received large tracts of land from the Government in acknowledgment of his services to his country during the Revolution. He laid out and owned the town of Newville, Pennsylvania. Some of his land was in Ohio, and he finally removed to that State. Finley attended private schools in South Bend, Indiana. Career In the winter of 1853, Finley began her literary career by writing a newspaper story and a little book published by the Baptist Board of Publication. Many of her early works were short stories contributed to the children's sections of Sunday-school papers. Originally written anonymously, the stories’ success led her publishers to ask her to include her name. At the time her family objected to her the publishing under her own name, so she chose "Martha Farquharson" as her pen name. Between 1856 and 1870, she wrote more than twenty Sunday school books and several series of juveniles, one series containing twelve books. These were followed by Casella (Philadelphia, 1869), Peddler of LaGrave, Old Fashioned Boy (Philadelphia, 1871), and Our Fred (New York City, 1874). It is through her "Elsie" and "Mildred" series that she became popular as a writer for the young. Finley did not write exclusively for the young. She wrote three novels, Wanted—A Pedigree (Philadelphia, 1879), Signing the Contract (New York, 1879), and Thorn in the Nest (New York. 1886). Personal life Finley resided in Elkton, Cecil County, Maryland, in a cottage which she built. On March 3, 1892, she became a member of the Singerly Fire Company, the town's fire department, when she was issued stock certificate 33, which granted her full privileges of membership. There is no evidence to indicate other types of participation in the organization, as most likely Singerly generously benefited from financial contributions from the civic-minded, progressive writer, yet she was the only woman listed on the rolls of the Elkton fire department until the mid-1970s List of publications Ella Clinton; or, By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1856 – online at Project Gutenberg Aunt Ruth, Philadelphia, 1857 Marion Harvie, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1857 Annandale: A story of the times of the Covenanters, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1858 Lame Letty, Philadelphia, 1859 Try: Better Do It, Than Wish It Done, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1863 Little Joe Carter, The Cripple, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1864 Mysie's Work, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1864 Willie Elton, The Little Boy Who Loved Jesus, Philadelphia, 1864 Black Steve; or The Strange Warning, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1865 Brookside Farm-House, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1865 Hugo and Franz, Philadelphia, 1865 Robert and Daisy, Philadelphia, 1865 Allan's Fault, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1866 Anna Hand, the Meddlesome Girl, Philadelphia, 1868 Casella, Dodd, 1868 Grandma Foster's Sunbeam, Philadelphia, 1868 Little Dick Positive, Philadelphia, 1868 The Little Helper, 1868 Little Patience, Philadelphia, 1868 Loitering Linus, Philadelphia, 1868 Maude's Two Homes, Philadelphia, 1868 Millie, or The Little Girl Who Tried To Help Others and Do Them Good, Philadelphia, 1868 Stupid Sally, the Poor-House Girl, Philadelphia, 1868 Amy and Her Kitten, Philadelphia, 1870 Betty Page, Philadelphia, 1870 The Broken Basket, Philadelphia, 1870 Jamie by the Lake, Philadelphia, 1870 Rufus the Unready, Philadelphia, 1870 The White Dress, Philadelphia, 1870 An Old-Fashioned Boy, Evans, 1871 Lilian; or, Did She Do It Right?, Evans, 1871 Wanted—A Pedigree, Dodd, 1871 Contented Jim, Philadelphia, 1872 Honest Jim, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1872 How He Did It, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1872 Noll in the Country, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1872 The Twin Babies, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1872 Our Fred, Donohue, 1874 The Peddler of La Grave, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1875 Aunt Hetty's Fowls, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876 Harry and His Chickens, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876 Harry and His Cousins, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876 Harry At Aunt Jane's, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876 Harry's Christmas in the City, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876 Harry's Fourth of July, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876 Harry's Grandma, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876 Harry's Little Sister, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876 Harry's Ride With Papa, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876 Harry's Walk With Grandma, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876 The Pewit's Nest, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876 Rosa and Robbie, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876 Signing the Contract, Dodd, 1879 – online at Project Gutenberg The Thorn in the Nest, Dodd, 1886 – online at Project Gutenberg The Tragedy of Wild River Valley, Dodd, 1893 – online at Project Gutenberg Twiddledetwit, A Fairytale, Dodd, 1898 Elsie Dinsmore series Elsie Dinsmore (1867) – online at Project Gutenberg Elsie's Holidays at Roselands (1868) – online at Project Gutenberg Elsie's Girlhood (1872) – online at Project Gutenberg Elsie's Womanhood (1875) – online at Project Gutenberg Elsie's Motherhood (1876) – online at Project Gutenberg Elsie's Children (1877) – online at Project Gutenberg Elsie's Widowhood (1880) Grandmother Elsie (1882) – online at Project Gutenberg Elsie's New Relations (1883) – online at Project Gutenberg Elsie.... 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