Eliza Lanesford Cushing (October 19, 1794 – May 4, 1886) was an American-Canadian dramatist, short story writer, and editor. The daughter of

Hannah Webster Foster Hannah Webster Foster (September 10, 1758/59 – April 17, 1840) was an American novelist. Her epistolary novel, '' The Coquette; or, The History of Eliza Wharton'', was published anonymously in 1797. Although it sold well in the 1790s, it was no ...

and sister of

Harriet Vaughan Cheney Harriet Vaughan Cheney (September 9, 1796 – May 14, 1889) was an American-Canadian novelist. She wrote a number of historical romances, among them ''A Peep at the Pilgrims in Sixteen Thirty-Six'' and ''The Rivals of Acadia'', as well as religiou ...

, both novelists, she wrote a number of plays including ''Esther'' and ''The Fatal Ring'', and edited ''

Literary Garland ''Literary Garland'' was a Montreal-based literary magazine published by John Lovell and John Gibson. During its run from 1838 to 1851, it was the most successful literary magazine in Canada, and started the careers of many prominent Canadian liter ...

'', Canada's main literary magazine at the time.

Biography

Cushing was born in

Brighton, Massachusetts Brighton is a Municipal annexation in the United States, former town and current Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located in the northwestern corner of the city. It is named after the English city of ...

, and published two early novels in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, ''Saratoga'' and ''Yorktown'', in 1820s. In 1828, she married Canadian doctor Frederick Cushing, and in 1833 moved to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

with him. Her sister Harriet had also married a Canadian and moved to Montreal, and the two regularly contributed stories and poems to the ''Literary Garland'', Cushing publishing under her initials "E.L.C." Cushing also continued publishing in the United States, with short stories and plays appearing in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

-based ''

Godey's Lady's Book ''Godey's Lady's Book'', alternatively known as ''Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book'', was an American women's magazine that was published in Philadelphia from 1830 to 1878. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civil ...

''. Cushing's husband died in 1846 of typhus contracted from immigrants he was treating; Cheney's husband had died in 1845, and in 1847 the two sisters founded the ''Snow-Drop'', a monthly girls' magazine "primarily concerned with social roles and domestic responsibilities appropriate for young women." Cushing also took over as editor of the ''Literary Garland'' after its editor John Gibson died in 1850, though the magazine ceased publication in 1851 when the success of ''

Harper's New Monthly Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'' put it out of business. She died in 1886.

Selected works

*Prose: **''The Sunday-School, or Village Sketches'' (1820, with Harriet Cheney) **''Saratoga: A Tale of the Revolution'' (1824, anonymous) **''Yorktown: An Historical Romance'' (1826, anonymous) **''Arabella Stuart'' (1839) **"Grace Morley: A Sketch from Life" (1839) **"A Canadian Legend" (1839) **"A Tale of the Richelieu" (1839) **"The Rose Feast" (1840) **"The Knight of Navarre" (1843) **"The Musk-Rose" (1843) **"The Neglected Wife" (1843) **"A Leaf from an Old Chronicle" (1844) **"The Fairies' Fountain" (1844) **"The Fatal Prediction" (1844) **"The Indian Maid: A Traditionary Tale" (1846) **"Deaf Molly" (1848) *Drama and verse: **''Esther: A Sacred Drama'' (1838) **''The Parting of Boabdil and Morayma'' (1839) **''Dramatic Sketch'' (1839) **"To the Planet Venus" (1839) **''Dramatic Scene: Verse Dialogue Between Naomi and Ruth'' (1840) **"April" (1840) **"Lines written after hearing Mr. Buckingham's description of the very ancient willow" (1840) **''Judith: A Poem'' (1840) **''The Fatal Ring'' (1840) **''Society Idyls'' (1841) **''Return to an Early Home'' (1843) **"True Joy" (1843) **''Dramatic Sketch from Scripture History'' (1844) **"The Emigrant" (1844) **"Rustic Hospitality: A Sketch" (1846) *''The Snow-Drop'' (periodical, 1847–52, with Harriet Cheney)

References

Bibliography

External links

* Cushing, Eliza Lanesford, and Harriet Vining Cheney. The Snow drop; or, Juvenile Magazine. Lovell and Gibson, Montreal
Vol. I, 1848.Vol. II, 1849Vol. III, 1850Vol. IV, 1850
All 4 volumes accessed 4 January 2014, in PDF format. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cushing, Eliza Lanesford 1794 births 1886 deaths 19th-century American novelists 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century American women writers 19th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Canadian novelists 19th-century Canadian women writers American children's writers American emigrants to Canada American women children's writers American women dramatists and playwrights American women novelists American women short story writers Canadian children's writers Canadian magazine editors Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Canadian women novelists Women magazine editors Writers from Boston