J. E. McConaughy (, Julia Eliza Loomis; January 1, 1834 – August 29, 1885) was the pen name of Julia Eliza McConaughy, a 19th-century American litterateur and author. She was one of the largest contributors to religious literature of her day, writing a number of brief articles, making valuable contributions to Sunday school literature. She was also the author of 14 books and of 8,000 articles for 75 periodicals. With such favor were her writings received by the public that they were frequently copied by other papers, and ran the rounds of the press, both in the United States and at times in England. The editor of one journal to which she was a constant contributor, through many years, and among a corps of distinguished writers, informed her that she was the only contributor from whom he had never refused an article. She invariably refused to write for secular papers for the sake of higher remuneration, where her religious aim would have to be sacrificed or abriged.
Early life and education
Julia Eliza Loomis was born in
Twinsburg, Ohio
Twinsburg is a suburban city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, located about halfway between Akron and Cleveland. The population was 19,248 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Akron metropolitan area.
History
In 1817 Ethan Alling, then ...
, January 1, 1834, of
Puritan
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. ...
ancestry. Her mother, whose names was Mills, was from
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
. Her father was also a native of Connecticut and a branch of the family of which Prof.
Elias Loomis
Elias Loomis (August 7, 1811 – August 15, 1889) was an American mathematician. He served as a professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Western Reserve College (now Case Western Reserve University), the University of the City of New Yo ...
of
Yale College
Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
was a prominent representative. Her father, Elisha Loomis, removed from
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
, to
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 ...
, in 1817, being one of the early settlers of the
Western Reserve
The Connecticut Western Reserve was a portion of land claimed by the Colony of Connecticut and later by the state of Connecticut in what is now mostly the northeastern region of Ohio. The Reserve had been granted to the Colony under the terms o ...
.
From seven years of age, she was an insatiable reader. A fall from a carriage which broke her ankle, when but ten years old, forced her to stay at house for some months, and tended still more to develop this taste. The library to which she had access was the garret of a neighbor, well stocked with files of old newspapers, a few magazines, and some volumes of ''Waverley''. The first twelve years of her life were spent on a farm. Her father then removed to
Hudson, Ohio
Hudson is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,110 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community in the Akron metropolitan statistical area and the larger Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area, t ...
, where she attended the Hudson Female Seminary, taught by Miss Mary Strong, daughter of Ephriam Strong. It was through her influence that Mrs. McConaughy's interest in the subject of religion was first awakened. She united with the Congregational Church at Hudson, at the age of fourteen.
Career
During the course of her education, she became an assistant teacher in the seminary of Miss Strong, and for some years, taught there and in the village school, and then in the new seminary which succeeded Miss Strong's, the in the High School at
Akron, Ohio
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...
, and afterwards in
Bloomfield, New Jersey
Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District.
History
The initial patent for the land that w ...
, where she held the position of Lady Principal, having the responsible conduct of the school.
At the age of 24, she married Rev. Nathaniel McConaughy, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, June 14, 1868, and soon after removed to
Millville, New Jersey
Millville is a city in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 28,400, She afterwards spent two years at Swedesboro, New Jersey, before removing to the Elwood section of
Mullica Township, New Jersey
Mullica Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,816, a decrease of 331 (−5.4%) from the 2010 census count of 6,147, which in turn reflec ...
.
At the age of 21, she had begun to write for the press short, crisp newspaper articles. This she continued until her death. Her first article for the press was “Learning Hymns," published in the ''New York Evangelist'' in 1855.
As the family grew up around her, she still devoted herself to writing, and for 30 years, contributed articles, averaging about one a day, to many of the religious journals of the period. Among these were: ''The Presbyterian'' of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
; ''The New York Evangelist'', ''The Lutheran Observer'', ''The Sunday School Times'', ''The Herald and Presbyter'' of
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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; ''The Raptist Chronicle (later ''Examiner and Chronicle'') of New York; ''The America Messenger'', and ''Child's Paper'' of the American Tract Society, the papers of the Sunday School Union, of the Presbyterian Board, of the Methodist Book Concern, of the National Temperance Society, and others, all animated by the same purpose of Christian spirit.
She availed herself also of the columns of many of the literary magazines, such as were governed by a religious spirit and meant for the home, among which were: ''Arthur's Home Magazine'', ''Peterson's Magazine'', ''The Ladies' Repository'', ''The Mother's Magazine'', ''The Mother's Journal'', ''The Ladies' Home Journal'', and others. Among the farming journals were: ''The New England Farmer'', ''The Ohio Farmer'', ''the Indiana Farmer'', ''The Maine Farmer'', ''The Rural New Yorker'', ''The Cultivator and Country Gentleman'', ''The Western Rural'', ''The Working Farmer'', ''The Farmer's Journal'', ''The Tribune and Farmer'', ''The Farm and fireside'', ''The Farmer's Union'', ''The Rural Home, ''The Country Side'', and most recently, ''The Farm and Garden'', of the "Household Department, of which she had charge at the time of her death. She also wrote for a few juvenile magazines and papers, Among them being: ''The Schoolday Visitor'', ''The Schoolday Magazine'', ''The School World'', ''The Little Corporal'', ''The Little Gem'', ''The Minor'', ''The Young Folks' Magazine'', ''Our Young People'', ''The Children's Home'', ''The Children's Friend'', ''Golden Hours'', ''Golden Rule'', ''Home Companion'', ''Christian Giver'', ''Mersey's Museum'', beside many others to which she was an occasional contributor.
The number of articles she contributed to the press was not less than 8,000, and the papers and periodicals to which she contributed number over 75. In addition, she wrote fourteen books all for the young. The titles of these are: ''Archie at the Seaside'', ''Hours with my Picture Book'', ''Minnie's Thinking Cap'', ''How to be Beautiful'', ''The Little Box and its Travels'', ''Respect the Burden'', ''The Prize Bible and other Stories'', ''One Hundred Gold Dollars'', ''The Hard Master'', ''Hanna's Lesson'', ''Clarence'', ''The Fire-fighters'', ''Capital for Working Boys''.
Later life and death
In the latter years of her life, when her own sons began to be young men, she took great interest in the welfare of that class, and turned her aim in writing largely toward them. For this purpose, she used such class journals as would devote a column or two reading suitable for clerks, and for several years, up to the time of her death, she furnished weekly an article for the Clerk's Department of ''The American Grocer'', which met with hearty appreciation, as numerous letters from the clerks themselves proved.
After
Jennie Maria Drinkwater Conklin
Jennie Maria Drinkwater Conklin (, Drinkwater; pen name, Mrs. Nathaniel Conklin; April 14, 1841 – April 28, 1900) was a 19th-century American author and social activist. While still in her teens, she became known for her stories for children. S ...
conceived the idea of the "Shut-in-Band", McConaughy, though sorely smitten by the painful malady that resulted in her death, became a corresponding member, and wrote numerous letters to the suffering invalids, to cheer and brighten their lives. After McConaughy's death, there were found the addresses of 44 invalids to whom she wrote, all strangers to her personally, and scattered all over the country.
Her final illness dated from June 23, 1885, but she had been suffering for seven years. The disease of which she died began to develop about 20 years earlier, and several operations were performed at various times, which succeeded in prolonging her life. She died at her residence in Somerville, New Jersey, August 29, 1885. She was interred in the Somerville Cemetery.
Selected works
* ''Hours with my Picture Book'' (American Sunday-School Union, 1865)
* ''Archie at the Seaside, and Other Stories'' (American Sunday-School Union, 1866)
* ''Minnie's Thinking Cap'' (American Sunday-School Union, 1866)
* ''Clarence; or, self-will and principle'' (Philadelphia, Perkinpine & Higgins, 1866)
* ''One Hundred Gold Dollars'' (Philadelphia, J. C. Garrigues & Co., 1867)
* ''The Hard Master: A Temperence Story'' (National Temperance Society and Publication House, 1868)
* ''The Fire-fighters'' (National Temperance Society and Publication House, 1872)
* ''Capital for Working Boys'' (London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1884)
* ''How to be Beautiful''
* ''The Little Box and its Travels''
* ''Respect the Burden''
* ''The Prize Bible and other Stories''
* ''Hanna's Lesson''