pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
, Florence Percy; October 9, 1832 – August 7, 1911), was an American poet and journalist. Her early poems appeared over the signature of "Florence Percy", and many of them were first published in the ''Portland Transcript''. She came to
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
in 1855, and a volume of her fugitive poems appeared in that city just before her marriage to Paul Akers, the sculptor, whom she accompanied to Italy, and buried there. For several years, she was on the editorial staff of the ''Portland Advertiser''. She wrote for most of the leading magazines, and several editions of her collected poems were published. She later resided in
Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 24,958,Strong, Maine. Her mother died when she was an infant, and her father moved the family to
Farmington
Farmington may refer to:
Places Canada
*Farmington, British Columbia
* Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation)
United States
*Farmington, Arkansas
*Farmington, California
*Farmington, Connecticut
*Farmington, Delaware
* Farmington, Georgia
* ...
, where she attended Farmington Academy.
Her earliest poems are said to have been published when she was between 12 and 15 years old, under the pen name "Florence Percy".
Career
In 1855, using her pen name, she published her first book of poetry, ''Forest Buds from the Woods of Maine''. She started contributing poems to the ''
Atlantic Monthly
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' in 1858. In 1866, she published her second collection, ''Poems'', under the name of "Elizabeth Akers". All subsequent volumes were published under the name "Elizabeth Akers Allen".
For much of her career, Allen earned her living partly as a journalist. The success of her first book allowed her to travel in Europe in 1859–60. While in Europe she served as a correspondent for the ''Portland Transcript'' and the ''Boston Evening Gazette''. In 1874, she moved to Portland, Maine, where she spent seven years as the literary editor of the ''Daily Advertiser.'' She was a member of the professional women's club
Sorosis
Sorosis Club rules in 1869
Sorosis was the first professional women's club in the United States. It was established in March 1868 in New York City.
History
The club was organized in New York City with 12 members in March 1868, by Jane Cunningham ...
, which had many writer members.
Allen is best known for the first couplet of her sentimental poem "Rock Me to Sleep, Mother" (1859), which was written during her European sojourn and first published in the ''Saturday Evening Post'' of
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 ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. Though it is not considered her finest work, it was very popular during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
and quoted in the (unpublished) manuscript
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
's '' No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger''. For some years, Allen was forced to dispute its authorship with a number of claimants after the poem was set to music by Ernest Leslie and became a hit song. The first couplet runs:
Backward, turn backward, O time, in thy flight;
Make me a child again, just for to-night.
Composer Kate Lucy Ward also set Allen's poem ''Do Not Look Long at Life's Sorrow'' to music.
During the Civil War, in 1863, Allen had an appointment as a government clerk in the War Office in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and also worked as a nurse.
Personal life
In 1851, she married Marshall S. M. Taylor, but he abandoned her and their infant daughter, and they were divorced in 1857.
Secondly, she married Paul Akers, a Maine sculptor whom she had met in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, in 1860; he died of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
in 1861. Their only child died shortly afterwards.
Thirdly, in 1865 or 1866, she married Elijah M. Allen and they lived in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
, and Ridgewood, New Jersey, before settling 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 ...
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
in 1881 and died there in 1911.
Her papers are held by
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...
.
Selected publications
*''Forest Buds from the Woods of Maine'' (1855, as Florence Percy)
*''Poems'' (1866, as Elizabeth Akers)
*''Queen Catharine's Rose'' (1885)
*''The Silver Bridge, and Other Poems'' (1885)
*''Two Saints'' (1888)
*''The High-Top Sweeting, and Other Poems'' (1891)
*''The Proud Lady of Stavoven'' (1897)
*''The Ballad of the Bronx'' (1901)
*''The Sunset Song, and Other Verses'' (1902)