Edward Payson Roe (March 7, 1838July 19, 1888) was an American novelist, Presbyterian minister, horticulturist and historian.

Biography

Edward Payson Roe was born in the village of Moodna, now part of

New Windsor, New York New Windsor is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. History The region was originally inhabited by the Munsee people, part of the Lenape confederation. The first European settlers were colonists from Scotland who arrived in 16 ...

. He studied at Williams College and at

Auburn Theological Seminary Auburn Theological Seminary, located in New York City, teaches students about progressive social issues by offering workshops, providing consulting, and conducting research on faith leadership development. The seminary was established in Auburn, N ...

. In 1862 he became

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

of the Second New York Cavalry, U.S.V., and in 1864 chaplain of Hampton Hospital, in Virginia. In 1866-74 he was pastor of the

First Presbyterian First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

Church at Highland Falls, New York. In 1874 he removed to

Cornwall-on-Hudson Cornwall-on-Hudson is a riverfront village in the town of Cornwall, Orange County, New York, United States. It lies on the west bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of New York City. The population as of the 2010 census was 3,018 ...

, where he devoted himself to the writing of

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

and to horticulture. During the American Civil War, he wrote weekly letters to the ''New York Evangelist'', and subsequently lectured on the war and wrote for periodicals. He married Anna Paulina Sands in 1863 and had several children. His daughter Sarah married the Olympic fencer Charles T. Tatham, and daughter Pauline married the landscape painter Henry Charles Lee.

Edward Payson Roe Memorial Park The Edward Payson Roe Memorial Park is a public park and hiking trail dedicated to American novelist Edward Payson Roe, located in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York. It borders on land of the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum's Wildlife Education Center. T ...

in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York is dedicated to his honor.

Writings

His novels were very popular in their day, especially with middle class readers in England and America, and were translated into several European languages. Their strong

moral A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A ...

and religious purpose, did much to break down a Puritan prejudice in America against works of fiction. One of his most consistent criticisms was that his work resembled sermons. Among his novels and horticultural writings were: *''Barriers Burned Away'' (1872), which first appeared as a serial in the ''Evangelist'' and made him widely known *''What Can She Do?'' (1873) *''Opening of a Chestnut Burr'' (1874)
''From Jest to Earnest''
(1875)
''Near to Nature's Heart''
(1876)
''A Knight of the Nineteenth Century''
(1877) *''A Face Illumined'' (1878)
''A Day of Fate''
(1880)
''Without a Home''
(1881) *''His Sombre Rivals'' (1883)
''Nature's Serial Story''
(1884) *''A Young Girl's Wooing'' (1884) *''An Original Belle'' (1885)
''Driven Back to Eden''
(1885) *''He Fell in Love with his Wife'' (1886)
''The Hornet's Nest: A Story of Love and War''
(1886)
''The Earth Trembled''
(1887) *''Miss Lou'' (left unfinished 1888) *''Play and Profit in My Garden'' (1873) *''Success with Small Fruits'' (1881) *''The Home Acre'' (1887) *''Found Yet Lost'' (1888) His first novel inspired an eponymous movie, '' Barriers Burned Away'', released in 1925 by W.S. Van Dyke.

References

Biography

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roe, Edward Payson 1838 births 1888 deaths People from Highlands, New York 19th-century American novelists American male novelists United States Army chaplains People from Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York Auburn Theological Seminary alumni Williams College alumni 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American clergy