Isabel Grimes Richey
Isabel Grimes Richey (June 16, 1858[lower-alpha 1] – November 13, 1910) was an American writer. She was "perhaps the first woman in Nebraska to publish books of poetry".[1]
Isabel Grimes Richey | |
|---|---|
 author photograph from When Love Is King (1900) | |
| Born | Isabel Grimes June 16, 1858 Lancaster, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | November 13, 1910 (aged 52) Plattsmouth, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Occupation | writer, poet |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Justus G. Richey |
Early years and education
Isabel Grimes was born in Lancaster, Missouri,[2] June 16, 1858.[3] Her father was a Kentuckian and her mother was of the Tipton family of Virginia.
Owing to disturbances caused by the American Civil War her father, who was a merchant, removed his family to Ottumwa, Iowa, when Richey was three years old. In her new home, the child began her education and was a quick and earnest pupil, always winning the good will of her instructors. A year before the time for graduation, her parents moved to the town of Afton, Iowa. Here, she finished in the high school.[2]
Career
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For two years after graduation, she taught in the home schools.[4] After marrying Justus G. Richey, they resided in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. It was through the bitter pain and grief that followed the death of her first child, a son, that Richey became aware of her skill in poetry. She later had one more child, another son.[4][2]
The first sign of her poetical ability exhibited itself in fugitive verse,[2] but she only wrote when in the mood to do so, and only a small portion of her work was offered for publication. Her first work was published in Omaha, Nebraska papers,[5] writing for the press starting in 1892. From 1893, Richey published two volumes of verse.[6] In 1895, she published through the press of Charles Wells Moulton, of Buffalo, New York, A Harp of the West, which volume of poems received flattering notices at the hands of William Dean Howells, Joaquin Miller, Prof. Herbert Bates, "Ironquill" (Eugene Fitch Ware), James Whitcomb Riley, and other authors and critics of the day.[4] She provided the lyrics for 'The Wood Nymph's Song', set to music by W. W. Abbott and published in 1896.[7]
Richey's poems were generally serious, reflective, womanly; at times, they were tinged with a faint suspicion of weariness and sadness. She sought no startling effect or vivid denouements. Her versification was smooth; she never forced rhymes and accents. Her poems appeared in Everywhere, the Omaha Bee, the Omaha World-Herald, Woman's Tribune (Washington), the Magazine of Poetry, the Nebraska State Journal, the Woman's Weekly, and other periodicals.[4] She died November 13, 1910 at Plattsmouth.
Selected works
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- Harp of the west, 1895
- When love is king, 1900
Notes
- Richey's date of birth is given in the literature (e.g. Greasley 2016) as 1863; however, her gravestone records the June 16, 1858 birth date.
References
- Greasley 2016, p. 584.
- Morton 1913, p. 554.
- "Mrs. Isabel Richey Passes Away". Plattsmouth Journal Newspaper. 17 November 1910. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- Menil 1897, p. 45.
- Moulton 1895, p. 457.
- Morton 1913, p. 555.
- Richey & Abbott 1896.
Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Menil, Alexander Nicolas De (1897). The Hesperian: A Western Quarterly Illustrated Magazine. 2, Issues 1-3 (Public domain ed.). A. N. De Menil.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) - This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Morton, Julius Sterling (1913). Illustrated History of Nebraska: A History of Nebraska from the Earliest Explorations of the Trans-Mississippi Region, with Steel Engravings, Photogravures, Copper Plates, Maps, and Tables. 3 (Public domain ed.). J. North.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Moulton, Charles Wells (1895). The Magazine of Poetry and Literary Review. 7 (Public domain ed.). C. W. Moulton.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Richey, Isabel; Abbott, W.W. (1896). The Wood Nymph's Song (A Lullaby) (Public domain ed.). Crancer & Curtice Pub.Co.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Bibliography
- Greasley, Philip A. (8 August 2016). Dictionary of Midwestern Literature, Volume 2: Dimensions of the Midwestern Literary Imagination. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-02116-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
