Elsie's Womanhood

<p>Yet another great book but it's also super sad. Although I do have issues with her inaccurate description of the Civil War. It's interesting to me that even though Finley write closer to that time than historians today she still seemed to portray it in the modern light. I wish more people studied what it was actually about.</p><p>This book really made me think about having my own kids and raising up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord... (Haley Annabelle)</p><p><br></p><p><strong>About the author</strong></p><p>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.</p><p><br></p><p>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.</p><p><br></p><p>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). (wikipedia.org)</p><p><br></p>