Helen Hinsdale Rich (, Hinsdale; June 18, 1827 - September 4, 1915), known as "The Poet of the

Adirondacks The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular d ...

", was a 19th-century American writer of poetry. She wrote and lectured in the causes of temperance and women's rights. She was the first woman of

northern New York The North Country (french: Pays du Nord) is the northernmost region of the U.S. state of New York, bordered by Lake Champlain to the east, the Adirondack Mountains and the Upper Capital District to the south, the Mohawk Valley region to the south ...

to embrace

woman suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, 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 gran ...

. Her poetry appeared in the

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

''Republican'',

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

''Transcript'', the ''

Overland Monthly The ''Overland Monthly'' was a monthly literary and cultural magazine, based in California, United States. It was founded in 1868 and published between the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. History The '' ...

'', and other prominent journals. Her volume of poems, ''A Dream of the Adirondacks, and Other Poems'' (

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, 1884), was compiled by Charles G. Whiting. Her ''Madame de Stael'' had the endorsement of eminent scholars as a literary lecture. Her "Grand Armies" was considered a brilliant

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

address. She excelled in poems of affection. Her "Justice in Leadville", in the style of

Bret Harte Bret Harte (; born Francis Brett Hart; August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

, was pronounced by ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' to be worthy of that poet or of

John Hay John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln, Hay's highest office was Un ...

. Rich died in 1915.

Early life and education

Helen Hinsdale was born June 18, 1827, in

Antwerp, New York Antwerp is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,846 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Antwerp in Belgium, the home of one of the early investors in the town. The town of Antwerp contains a village ...

. Her father, Ira Hinsdale, was a pioneer farmer who had migrated from

Berkshire County, Massachusetts Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in ...

. On her father's side she was a relative of

Emma Willard Emma Hart Willard (February 23, 1787 – April 15, 1870) was an American woman's education activist who dedicated her life to education. She worked in several schools and founded the first school for women's higher education, the Troy Female S ...

. She was born in a log cabin on the farm he cleared in 1821. Her mother died in 1879. She ran away to school at the age of four. At 12 years of age, she wrote verses. Though she attended only a single term, she led her classes in the

Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary was located in Gouverneur, St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The seminary was operated in the 19th century by the Black River Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. History The seminary began in 1 ...

, and won prizes in composition. She became proficient in

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

at the age of 13 in the woods on the farm. She was obliged to read all debates of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

aloud to her father, and the speeches of

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

and

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, ...

made her an ardent patriot and politician. She was a Universalist.

Career

She married Moses Rich, July 4, 1847. He was a manufacturer from

Brasher Falls, New York Brasher Falls is the largest hamlet (New York), hamlet and a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Brasher, New York, Brasher in St. Lawrence County, New York, St. Lawrence County, New York (state), New York, United States. As of the 2010 U ...

. She found time to write several hundred poems and a vast amount of prose, including stories, lectures, and addresses. Most of her studying was done in spite of engrossing home cares since marriage. She was with Professor J. S. Lee, of

Canton, New York Canton is an incorporated town in St. Lawrence County, New York. The population was 11,638 at the time of the 2020 census. The town contains two villages: one also named Canton, the other named Rensselaer Falls. The town is named after the gr ...

, for several months in her 37th year. Her poems had a wide circulation in the periodical press; but her chief productions, poems of great length, were never published. Rich was a contributor to the ''Rose of Sharon'', ''Lily of the Valley'', ''

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, ...

'', ''

'', ''New York Tribune'', ''Chicago Tribune'', ''Detroit Tribune'', ''New Covenant'', ''Star in the West'', ''Springfield Republican'', ''Burlington Hawkeye'', ''Boston Transcript'', ''Boston Commonwealth'', ''Woman's Journal'', ''Universalist'', ''Christian Leader'', and many other periodical publications. Rich was a

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

worker, and her lectures upon that subject were characterized as persuasive and of high literary merit. For two seasons, she gave lectures for the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

cause in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. She was a defender of woman's right to assist in making the laws that govern her. She carried out her ideas of woman's ability and need of personal achievement, self-support and self-reliance in the rearing of her daughter.

Personal life

Rich made her home is in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. She had one daughter, Mrs. D. C. Lyon, of

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

, a musician; and a son, Pitt C. Rich, of Chicago. She died September 4, 1915, in

Buchanan County, Missouri Buchanan County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 84,793. Its county seat is St. Joseph. When originally formed in 1838, the county was named Roberts County, after settler Hiram Rob ...

Style and themes

Rich's verse was characterized as "fluent and graceful, and she expresses emotion with that impress of genuineness and honesty which carries a personal force into the verse. She is deeply engaged in moral motives, and these fill many of her best poems with an inspiring fervor. But she also has the feeling of pure beauty". Her work as an interpreter of nature and humanity was compared to

Lucy Larcom Lucy Larcom (March 5, 1824 – April 17, 1893) was an American teacher, poet, and author. She was one of the first teachers at Wheaton Female Seminary (now Wheaton College) in Norton, Massachusetts, teaching there from 1854 to 1862. During that ...

and

Julia C. R. Dorr Julia Caroline Ripley Dorr (February 13, 1825 – January 18, 1913) was an American author who published both prose and poetry. Although she wrote a number of novels and works on travel, she was best known for her poetry. Her work was conservativ ...

Selected works

* ''A dream of the Adirondacks, and other poems'', 1884 * ''Madame de Staël, the rival of Napoleon'', 1895 * ''Baron Maurice Hirsch'', 1897 * ''Murillo's slave ; and other poems'', 1897

References

Attribution

* * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rich, Helen Hinsdale 1827 births 1915 deaths 19th-century American poets 19th-century American women writers People from Antwerp, New York Writers from New York (state) Suffragists from Illinois Members of the Universalist Church of America Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century