Laura M. Thurston (, Hawley;

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 ...

, Viola; December 20, 1812 – July 21, 1842) was an American poet and educator. A prolific writer, most of her works were originally published in the ''Louisville Journal'', and in William D. Gallagher's ''Hesperian''. Among

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

's early poets, she was a contemporary of

Amanda Ruter Dufour Amanda Ruter Dufour (, Ruter; February 26, 1822 – May 29, 1899) was a 19th-century American poet. Many of her productions were devotional in nature, and included piety and charity, these being traits she probably inherited from her father. Many ...

, while among

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

poets, she was a friend of Amelia B. Coppuck Welby.

Biography

Laura M. Hawley was born in

Norfolk, Connecticut Norfolk () is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,588 at the 2020 census. The urban center of the town is the Norfolk census-designated place, with a population of 553 at the 2010 census. Norfolk is per ...

, December 20, 1812. She was the daughter of Earl P. Hawley, and Irene (Frisbie) Hawley. Her parents being in moderate circumstances, her early advantages for education were such only as were afforded by the common district school. When she became older, however, she found means to enter John P. Brace's

Hartford Female Seminary Hartford Female Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut was established in 1823, by Catharine Beecher, making it one of the first major educational institutions for women in the United States. By 1826 it had enrolled nearly 100 students. It implemente ...

, where she continued her studies with unusual diligence and success, and secured the marked esteem of the principal and teachers. After leaving Brace's Seminary, she was for a few years engaged as a teacher in

New Milford, Connecticut New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is in western Connecticut, north of Danbury, on the banks of the Housatonic River, and it shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. It is t ...

, and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and subsequently became an assistant in Brace's Seminary. Here she remained until 1837, when, upon Brace's recommendation, she left

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 cap ...

to take charge of the Academy at

New Albany, Indiana New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River, opposite Louisville, Kentucky. The population was 37,841 as of the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Floyd County. It is bounded by I-265 t ...

. In 1839, she married Franklin Thurston, a merchant of New Albany, at which time she resigned her position as school principal. She was at this time a frequent contributor to the western papers and periodicals, usually over the signature of "Viola", and soon won for herself the reputation of being one of the best women writers in the west. But in the midst of her growing fame, she died in New Albany on July 21, 1842.

References

Attribution

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Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thurston, Laura M. 1812 births 1842 deaths 19th-century American women educators 19th-century American poets 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American educators 19th-century pseudonymous writers Poets from Connecticut Educators from Connecticut Pseudonymous women writers