Florence Morse Kingsley (July 14, 1859November 7, 1937) was an American author of popular and
religious fiction
Inspirational fiction is a sub-category within the broader categories of "inspirational literature" or "inspirational writing." It has become more common for booksellers and libraries to consider inspirational fiction to be a separate genre, class ...
.
Early life
Florence Morse Kingsley was born in Poe,
Medina County, Ohio
Medina County (pronounced ) is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 182,470. Its county seat is Medina. The county was created in 1812 and later organized in 1818. It is named for Medina, a city in Sa ...
, to artists Eleanor Ecob and Jonathan Bradley Morse. Florence grew up in Brecksville Township,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, where her parents were educators in the local school district.
Personal life
Florence Morse was a student at
Wellesley College
Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...
from 1876 to 1879. However, she had to leave before graduating because of a severe eye problem.
She married Reverend Charles Rawson Kingsley, son of Frances Elizabeth Rawson and Charles Clark Kingsley on July 12, 1882 in
Utica, New York
Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...
. Dr. Charles and Mrs Florence Kingsley had five children: Charles Rawson Kingsley, Jr., Donald Morse Kingsley, Grace Ecob Kingsley, James Morse Kingsley, and John Bradley Kingsley.
Professional life
Florence Morse Kingsley was a contemporary of fellow writer
Lew Wallace
Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is ...
, the author of '' Ben-Hur''. The influence of her early Wellesley days were captured in her books:
*'' The Hired Baby''
*''
And so They were Married
or AND may refer to:
Logic, grammar, and computing
* Conjunction (grammar), connecting two words, phrases, or clauses
* Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition
* Bitwise AND, a boole ...
To the Highest Bidder
''To the Highest Bidder'' is a lost 1918 silent film drama directed by Tom Terriss and starring Alice Joyce. It was produced by the Vitagraph Company of America and distributed by a releasing company V-L-S-E.The Singular Miss Smith''
When Kingsley was thirty-five, a publisher held a writing competition to obtain the best manuscript that would inspire a child's faith for Christ. It was in this contest that Florence Kingsley submitted her manuscript for '' Titus: A Comrade of the Cross''. In six weeks, 200,000 copies had been printed to meet demand. She later published two other works of Christian fiction: the sequel to her original entitled '' Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross'', and the epic tale '' The Cross Triumphant''.
Kingsley was featured in, and a contributing writer to, the ''
Ladies' Home Journal
''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...