Ethel Hillyer Harris was a writer of

Southern United States literature Southern United States literature consists of American literature written about the Southern United States or by writers from the region. Literature written about the American South first began during the colonial era, and developed significant ...

Biography

Ethel Hillyer was born and reared in

Rome, Georgia Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia metropolitan area, Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statisti ...

. A daughter of Dr. Eben Hillyer and a granddaughter of Judge

Junius Hillyer Junius Hillyer (April 23, 1807 – June 21, 1886) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician who served two terms in the United States Congress. Early years and education Junius Hillyer was born in Wilkes County, Georgia, on April 23, 180 ...

, she comes from one of the best known families in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Her grandfather served five years in Congress and was the friend of such men as Stephens, Toombs, Hill and Cobb. She was a niece of Judge George Hillyer, of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, a prominent member of the Georgia bar. On her grandmother's side she was a lineal descendant of

Lyman Hall Lyman Hall (April 12, 1724 – October 19, 1790) was an American Founding Father, physician, clergyman, and statesman who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Georgia. Hall County is named after him. He ...

and

George Walton George Walton (c. 1749 – February 2, 1804), a Founding Father of the United States, signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Georgia and also served as the second chief executive of Georgia. Early life Wal ...

, two of the

signers of the Declaration of Independence The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence occurred primarily on August 2, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, later to become known as Independence Hall. The 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress rep ...

, and consequently, she was a member of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

. She was educated in Shorter College (now

Shorter University Shorter University is a private Baptist university in Rome, Georgia. It was founded in 1873 and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees through six colleges and schools. In addition Shorter operates the Robert H. Ledbetter College of Busines ...

), and while still a student, was regarded as a bright and original writer. She graduated after taking the full course, including music, Latin and French. She married T. W. Hamilton Harris, a lawyer, of

Cartersville, Georgia Cartersville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, United States; it is located within the northwest edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 23,187. Cartersville is the county seat of Bartow Coun ...

. They had two children, a son, and a daughter. Harris contributed to some of the leading papers of the country, and many of her ''

negro In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...

'' dialect and pathetic sketches were praised by eminent critics Harris was also a member of the

United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Ethel Hillyer Year of birth missing Year of death missing 19th-century American writers 19th-century American women writers Daughters of the American Revolution people Members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century People from Rome, Georgia Writers from Georgia (U.S. state) Writers of American Southern literature Shorter University alumni