Elizabeth Martha Olmsted

Elizabeth Martha Olmsted (December 31, 1825 – February 7, 1910) was an American poet. Her poems were well known during the Civil War, and appeared in the newspapers and magazines of that period.[1]

Elizabeth Martha Olmsted, "A woman of the century"

Biography

Elizabeth Martha Allen was born in Caledonia, New York, December 31, 1825. Her ancestral stock was from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Her father, Oliver Allen, belonged to the family of Ethan Allen. She was educated carefully and liberally. She was a child of strong mental powers and inquiring mind. Her poetic trend was apparent in childhood, and in her youth she wrote poems of much merit. She married, in February, 1853, John R. Olmsted, of Le Roy, New York, and she resided in that town thereafter. The Olmsleds descended from the first settlers of Hartford, Connecticut, and pioneers of the Genesee valley.[2][3][1]

Olmsted contributed to the New York City Independent and other papers. During the Civil War, she wrote many spirited war lyrics, among which was the once well-known "Our Boys Going to the War" and "The Clarion." Her poem, "The Upas," first appeared in the "Independent" of January 16, 1862. She published a number of excellent sonnets. Her productions were characterized by moral tone, fine diction and polish.[2][3]

She died February 7, 1910, and was buried at Machpelah Cemetery, Le Roy.

References
  1. Logan 1912, pp. 818-819.
  2. Willard & Livermore 1893, p. 548.
  3. Moulton 1894, p. 484.

Attribution
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Logan, Mrs. John A. (1912). The Part Taken by Women in American History (Public domain ed.). Perry-Nalle publishing Company. p. 818.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Moulton, Charles Wells (1894). The Magazine of Poetry and Literary Review. 6 (Public domain ed.).CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life (Public domain ed.). Moulton.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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