Florence Magruder Gilmore (

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 Gilmore; February 13, 1881 – September 13, 1945) was an American author and settlement worker. She was a frequent contributor to the Catholic press, and wrote several novels.

Personal life and education

Florence Magruder Gilmore was born in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, February 13, 1881. Her father, James Gillespie Gilmore (1854-1904), was a senior member of the firm of Gilmore & Ruhl, St. Louis,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. Through her father, she was connected with the prominent families of Blaine, Ewing and Sherman, in the U.S. Her mother was Florence (Magruder) Gilmore; through her mother, the she was connected with some of the well-known families of Scotland, including

Clan MacGregor Clan Gregor, also known as Clan MacGregor, () is a Highland Scottish clan that claims an origin in the early 9th century. The clan's most famous member is Rob Roy MacGregor of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The Clan is also known to hav ...

. Her siblings were a brother, Edward M. Gilmore, and two sisters,

Reverend Mother An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

Mary Gilmore, superior at Villa Duchesne, and Mother Frances Gilmore, Academy of the Sacred Heart, who were both Catholic nuns. Gilmore attended Sacred Heart Convent school,

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, and Maryville College (now Maryville University), St. Louis,

. In 1936, Gilmore received an Honorary B.Litt. from Maryville College.

Career

Gilmore was engaged in doing settlement work under Catholic organizations in St. Louis. She was a member of the staff of ''The Catholic Columbian'' (weekly), and a contributor to many periodicals, Catholic and non-sectarian. These included ''

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

'', ''Extension'', ''Benzinger's'', '' Messenger of the Sacred Heart'', ''Rosary'', ''

Leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

'' , ''Ave Maria'', '' St. Anthony Messenger'', ''The Sign'', ''The Missionary'', '' Catholic World '', and ''

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, ...

''. Gilmore published at least three novels with B. Herder of St. Louis, ''A Romance of Old Jerusalem'' (1911), ''Dr. Dumont'' (1911), and ''The Parting of the Ways'' (1914). In ''The Parting of the Ways'', Gilmore tells the story of two youths whose association was interrupted by the different educational plans of their parents. The one receives a Catholic education, and his faith is the center of his life. The other attends secular schools, and his faith drops into the position of an accident. The story is allowed to point its moral by the simple unfolding of the plot without any offensive insistence. There were several translations from French for Maryknoll, such as ''For the Faith'', ''Martyr of Futuna'', and ''Two Vincentian martyrs''. Her poetry was included in the ''American Book of Verse''.

Death

After a major operation, Florence Magruder Gilmore died in Columbus, Ohio, September 13, 1945.

Selected works

Novels

* ''A Romance of Old Jerusalem'', 1911 * ''Dr. Dumont'', 1911 * ''The Parting of the Ways'', 1914

Short story collections

* ''Cowboy Or Priest: And Fourteen Other Stories'', 1922

Adapted from the French

* ''For the Faith: Life of Just de Brentenières'', by Camille Appert, 1918 * ''The Martyr of Futuna. Blessed Peter Chanel of the Society of Mary'', 1918 * ''Two Vincentian martyrs'', 1925

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmore, Florence Magruder 1881 births 1945 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American poets 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers American religious writers American Roman Catholic religious writers Catholics from Ohio Writers from Columbus, Ohio