Ellen Olney Kirk

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Ellen Olney Kirk in 1893

Ellen Warner Olney Kirk (November 6, 1842 – November 29, 1928) was an American novelist. Her novels tended to have romance plots set in New York or Philadelphia.

Early life[]

Ellen Warner Olney was born in Southington, Connecticut, the daughter of geographer and educator Jesse Olney and Elizabeth Barnes Olney. Her uncle was publisher Alfred Smith Barnes.[1]

Career[]

Ellen Warner Olney wrote as a young woman, but did not publish her first novel until age 34.[2] Novels by Ellen Olney Kirk include Love in Idleness (serialized 1876-1877, under pseudonym "Henry Hayes"); His Heart's Desire (1878); The Story of Margaret Kent (1886, again as "Henry Hayes"); Sons and Daughters (1887);[3] Queen Money (1888); A Daughter of Eve (1889); Walford (1890); Ciphers (1891); The Story of Lawrence Garthe (1894);[4] Revolt of a Daughter (1897);[5] Dorothy and her Friends (1899);[6] A Remedy for Love (1902);[7] Good-bye, Proud World (1903);[8] and Marcia (1907).[9][10] Contemporary reviewers considered her work somewhat old-fashioned, especially after the turn into the twentieth century, but some were charmed by the familiar plots and the absence of overt social commentary.[11] Her 1898 Christmas book for young readers, Dorothy Deane: A Children's Story, was illustrated by Philadelphia artist Sarah Stilwell Weber.[12]

Personal life[]

Ellen Warner Olney married author, editor, and librarian John Foster Kirk in 1879, as his second wife. She was widowed when he died in 1904.[13] She died at her home in Philadelphia on November 29, 1928, aged 86 years.[10][14]

References[]

  1. ^ John Willian Leonard, Who's Who in America (A. N. Marquis 1903): 844.
  2. ^ Mary Marshall, "Famous Woman, Her Birthday and Yours" Washington Herald (November 6, 1915): 10. via Newspapers.comopen access
  3. ^ Ellen Olney Kirk, Sons and Daughters (Ticknor & Company 1887).
  4. ^ Ellen Olney Kirk, The Story of Lawrence Garthe (Houghton, Mifflin & Company, 1894).
  5. ^ Ellen Olney Kirk, Revolt of a Daughter (Houghton, Mifflin & Company 1897).
  6. ^ Ellen Olney Kirk, Dorothy and Her Friends (Houghton, Mifflin & Company, 1899).
  7. ^ Ellen Olney Kirk, A Remedy for Love (Houghton, Mifflin & Company 1902).
  8. ^ "A Non-Strenuous Life" Literary Digest 27(22)(November 28, 1903): 752.
  9. ^ "Boston Notes: Ellen Olney Kirk's New Novel" New York Times (March 9, 1907).
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Vicki Lynn Hill, "Ellen Warner (Olney) Kirk" in American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to Present (Gale Group 2000).
  11. ^ "Old Time Love Story: Ellen Olney Kirk Writes a Love Story Without Social Problems of Morbid Questions" Brooklyn Daily Eagle (June 3, 1902): 7. via Newspapers.comopen access
  12. ^ Ellen Olney Kirk, Dorothy Deane: A Children's Story (Houghton, Mifflin & Company 1898).
  13. ^ "Recent Deaths: John Foster Kirk" Boston Evening Transcript (September 30, 1904): 12.
  14. ^ "Kirk". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 30, 1928. p. 26. Retrieved April 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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