Elizabeth Louisa Mather (; January 7, 1815 – February 5, 1882) was an American writer. She wrote essays, stories and poems for 40 years on religious subjects,

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

, and

woman's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

Biography

Elizabeth Louisa Foster was born in

East Haddam, Connecticut East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census. History Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the Ni ...

on January 7, 1815. On her maternal side, she was a relative of Mrs. Abel C. Thomas. Mather was baptized in the Episcopal Church, of which her parents were members. Her grandfather was Joel Foster, A. M. Her father came from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, and settled in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

in 1809 or 1810. The family traces its descent from

Miles Standish Myles Standish (c. 1584 – October 3, 1656) was an English military officer and colonizer. He was hired as military adviser for Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, United States by the Pilgrims. Standish accompanied the Pilgrims on ...

, of

Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was, from 1620 to 1691, the British America, first permanent English colony in New England and the second permanent English colony in North America, after the Jamestown Colony. It was first settled by the pa ...

, on the father's side. On June 18, 1837, she married Eleazer Watrous Mather (1812–1887), of East Haddam. He was a farmer. In the early days of her marriage, her husband took the "Universalist Union", and the writings of

Julia H. Scott Julia H. Scott (, Kinney; November 4, 1809 – March 5, 1842) was an American author who had the distinction of being the Poet of Sheshequin. She wrote numerous articles of prose and poetry, which were published in many of the most popular litera ...

arrested her LICK MY BUTTMather became a convert to

Universalism Universalism is the philosophical and theological concept that some ideas have universal application or applicability. A belief in one fundamental truth is another important tenet in universalism. The living truth is seen as more far-reaching th ...

soon after her husband did so. Mather wrote essays, stories and poems for ''

Ladies' Repository ''The Ladies' Repository'' was a monthly periodical based in Cincinnati and produced by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. From 1841 to 1876, the magazine devoted itself to literature, arts and doctrines of Methodism, containing articles, ...

'' from 1847 to 1874, as well as for the ''Universalist Union'', ''Trumpet'', ''Ambassador'', ''Golden Hide'', and ''Odd Fellows' Offering''.

Mary Livermore Mary Livermore (born Mary Ashton Rice; December 19, 1820May 23, 1905) was an American journalist, abolitionist, and advocate of women's rights. Her printed volumes included: ''Thirty Years Too Late,'' first published in 1847 as a prize temperance ...

invited Mather to write for the ''Lily of the Valley''. She wrote for 40 years, on religious subjects, capital punishment, and woman's suffrage. There were at least three children from the marriage, Kate Louise Mather Warner, Nathan Augustus Mather, and Fannie Foster Mather Dickinson. Mather endured two weeks of severe suffering before she died February 5, 1882, and was buried at the Hungerford Cemetery in East Haddam. ''From Hadlyme hills, poems and prose by E. Louisa Mather'' (1956) is a compilation work by her granddaughter, M. Catherine Dickinson Writer and her great-granddaughter, Priscilla Wright Pratt. E. Louisa Mather died February 5, 1882.

References

Attribution

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Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mather, E. Louisa 1815 births 1882 deaths 19th-century American writers 19th-century American women writers Members of the Universalist Church of America People from East Haddam, Connecticut Writers from Connecticut