Caroline Matilda Warren Thayer (c. 17851844) was an American educator, novelist, and children's writer.

Biography

Caroline Matilda Warren was born in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

circa 1785 to Roby Hathaway and William Warren. She was related to the Bunker Hill revolutionary General

Joseph Warren Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 – June 17, 1775), a Founding Father of the United States, was an American physician who was one of the most important figures in the Patriot movement in Boston during the early days of the American Revolution, ...

. She married James Thayer on April 10, 1809, in

Sutton, Massachusetts Sutton, officially the Town of Sutton, is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The population was 9,357 in the 2020 United States Census. Located in the Blackstone Valley, the town was designated as a Preserve America community in 2004. H ...

. The couple had several children who died in infancy and one son who fought and died at the

Battle of the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...

. Her husband also died young. Thayer worked as an educator and writer focused on religion. She opened a school on

Canandaigua Lake Canandaigua Lake is the fourth largest of the Finger Lakes in the U.S. state of New York. The City of Canandaigua is located at the northern end of the lake and the village of Naples is several miles south of the southern end. It is the we ...

in 1818 and in 1819, became the superintendent of the female division of Wesleyan Seminary in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. However, her stay with the Wesleyan Seminary ended when she was dismissed for her associations with New Jerusalem Church in 1821. From there Thayer moved to Joseph Hoxie’s Academy in New York City for several years before moving to teach in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

in 1824. She then became the Governess of

Elizabeth Female Academy The Elizabeth Female Academy, founded in 1818 in the town of Washington, was the first female educational institution in Mississippi. It was named after Mrs. Elizabeth Roach (later Greenfield), who donated the land on which the school was located. ...

in Mississippi before opening her own school in

Port Gibson Port Gibson is a city in Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,567 at the 2010 census. Port Gibson is the county seat of Claiborne County, which is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River. It is the site of th ...

in 1831. Later Thayer became the principal of a women's department in

Mississippi College Mississippi College (MC) is a private Baptist university in Clinton, Mississippi. Founded in 1826, MC is the second-oldest Baptist-affiliated college or university in the United States and the oldest college or university in Mississippi. Histor ...

. Thayer died in 1844 and was buried in

Harrisonburg, Louisiana Harrisonburg is a village in and the parish seat of Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 348 as of the 2010 census, down from 746 in 2000. Riley J. Wilson, who held Louisiana's 5th congressional district seat from 191 ...

Publications

* ''The Gamesters'' * ''Religion Recommended to Youth, in a Series of Letters'' * ''Elegy'' * ''Reflections'' * ''Stanzas'' * ''Ode to Cause of the Greeks'' * ''The Miracle Spring'' * ''First Lessons in the History of the United States'' * ''The Widow's Son''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thayer, Caroline Matilda Warren 1844 deaths 19th-century American women writers Educators from Massachusetts Writers from Massachusetts American children's writers People from Worcester, Massachusetts People from Harrisonburg, Louisiana