Jessie Fremont O'Donnell (

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 ...

, J. F. O'Donnell; January 18, 1860 – April 30, 1897) was a 19th-century American writer of poems, novels and magazine articles, as well as a lecturer. In December, 1887, her first book, ''Heart Lyrics'' appeared. Later books were ''Love Poems of Three Centuries'', ''Three Centuries of English Love-Songs'', ''A Soul from Pudge's Corners'', and others, besides contributions to various U.S. periodicals. She also wrote essays, short stories, and character studies.

Early life and education

Jessie Fremont O'Donnell was born in

Lowville, New York Lowville is a town in Lewis County, New York, United States. The population was 4,888 at the 2020 census,John (sometimes referred to as Charles) O'Donnell, a member of the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...

from 1863 to 1869, including

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

from

Lewis County, New York Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,582, making it the fourth-least populous county in New York. Its county seat is Lowville. The county is named after Morgan Lewis, ...

. In the state legislature, he was the author and successful advocate of many reform measures on the subjects of taxation, temperance and kindred matters. He also held the position of

Clerk of the New York State Assembly The Clerk of the New York State Assembly heads the administration of the New York State Assembly. The outgoing clerk of the previous session presides over a new Assembly until a Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politi ...

, Supervisor of the Internal Revenue, Railroad Commissioner, and is a fluent speaker and forcible writer upon assessment, taxation, and general questions of political economy. Her mother was a woman of literary ability. Her siblings included brothers, Clarence, Everett, Will, and Eugene. O'Donnell studied in the Lowville Academy and later, spent several years in Temple Grove Seminary,

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

, graduating with the highest honors of her class and as its chosen orator and poet. With no thought of preparing herself for any career, she was free to follow her inclinations, and pursue studies which she chose for her pleasure. Her time was largely spent among her books or outdoors. During summers, she spent several hours of every day horseback riding.

Career

Three or four years after her graduation, she devoted herself to writing. She began to write of what she noticed and what she felt in her daily life, developing a gift of imagery. While writing on an irregular basis, including occasional editorials, she learned topaint, working in her native village and in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. Her first poems were published in the '' Boston Evening Transcript''. In 1887, she published a volume of poems entitled ''Heart Lyrics'' (

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 ...

). The strong originality and musical quality shown in those poems were well-received. The reception of her book was so assuring that she decided to pursue literary work systematically. Thereafter, she accomplished a lot. She largely chose historical subjects for her poems, which were published in various magazines. In December, 1890, she published ''Love Poems of Three Centuries'' in ''

The Knickerbocker ''The Knickerbocker'', or ''New-York Monthly Magazine'', was a literary magazine of New York City, founded by Charles Fenno Hoffman in 1833, and published until 1865. Its long-term editor and publisher was Lewis Gaylord Clark, whose "Editor's Ta ...

'' Nugget Series. Posthumously, the Putnams published a new edition of O'Donnell's ''Love Poems of Three Centuries (1600-1900)'' in 1912. Many of O'Donnell's poems were particularly adapted to recitation, for example, "The Sale of a Pig", "The Star-Spangled Banner", "The Coal-Digger", and "The Bell of Pekin". Jessie Fremont O'Donnell (1892)

O'Donnell was also a very successful writer of prose. Her story, "A Soul from Pudge's Corners" was first issued serially in 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 ...

''. Her series of essays entitled ''Horseback Sketches'' (New York, 1891) were some of her most successful works. They were written for ''

Outing Outing is the act of disclosing an LGBT person's sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. It is often done for political reasons, either to instrumentalize homophobia in order to discredit political opponents or to com ...

'' and were issued in that periodical through 1891 and 1892. She achieved a marked success in the lecture field with her "Three Centuries of English Love Song", an outgrowth of her editorial work on the ''Love Poems''. She was actively interested in Shakespearian matters and was also a member of

Sorosis Sorosis Club rules in 1869 Sorosis was the first professional women's club in the United States. It was established in March 1868 in New York City. History The club was organized in New York City with 12 members in March 1868, by Jane Cunningham ...

Personal life

With her father and mother, she moved from Lowville to New York City in 1896. Of slight build, O'Donnell became critically ill of consumption for two months before she died at her home in New York, April 30, 1897. During her illness, her brother-in-law, Dr. Frederick B. Woods, came from

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 ...

to New York City to attend her. Interment was at Lowville.

Selected works

By J. F. O'Donnell

* ''Memories of the Irish Franciscans'', 1871 * ''Heart Lyrics'', 1887 * ''Love Poems of Three Centuries'', 1890 (compilation) * ''Three Centuries of English Love-Songs''

Prose serials by Jessie F. O'Donnell

* "A Soul from Pudge's Corners", ''Ladies' Home Journal'' * "Horseback Sketches'", ''Outing'', 1891

References

Attribution

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:ODonnell, Jessie Fremont 1860 births 1897 deaths 19th-century American poets 19th-century American women writers 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis American women poets Writers from New York (state) People from Lewis County, New York Tuberculosis deaths in New York (state) Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century