Mary Ann Maitland (, Davidson; 26 January 1839 — 24 February 1919) was a Scottish-born Canadian author of poems, hymns, and short stories. The "Ann" character in Maitland's short story, "Charity Ann: Founded on Facts" (''

Godey's Lady's Book ''Godey's Lady's Book'', alternatively known as ''Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book'', was an American women's magazine that was published in Philadelphia from 1830 to 1878. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civil ...

'', January 1892), provided the background for

Anne Shirley Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel '' Anne of Green Gables'' by L. M. Montgomery. Shirley is featured throughout the classic book series, which revolve around her life and family in 19th and 20th-century Prince Edw ...

's history and adoption in ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

''.

Early life

Mary Ann Davidson was born in

Elgin, Moray Elgin (; sco, Ailgin; gd, Eilginn, ) is a town (former cathedral city) and formerly a Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher gr ...

, Scotland, 26 January 1839. She is a daughter of James Alexander Davidson, the first teacher in the Infant School of Elgin, and Elizabeth Wilson Maitland. She was a maternal granddaughter of the Provost Wilson of that town. Maitland came to Canada with her father in 1857, when she was 18 years of age. She had, before leaving Scotland, written some creditable verses, but it was not until she came to Canada that her merits as a poet were fully acknowledged.

Career

In a short time, her contributions found their way into the ''S.S. Times'', ''

The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper printed from 1987 to 2016, when it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainmen ...

'', ''Christian at Work'', ''

'', ''Gems of Poetry'', ''Woman's Magazine'', and other standard American periodicals. Maitland's own estimate of her poems was:— "I am well aware that they contain no high poetic flight or lofty imagery; perhaps their only merit is their tenderness." A writer in ''

Daughters of America The Daughters of America is an American secret society, Nativist organization dating from the late-19th century. It was founded in 1891 as an auxiliary of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. Since its heyday in the 1930s, the organizati ...

'' who was familiar with Maitland and her writings, said of her that she is "one of the sweetest singers of the day," and the ''Idea'' said in a sketch of her:— "Mrs. Maitland is by nature a poet — one in whom the most natural form of expression is in rhyme and rhythm". She married George Forbes Maitland (1835-1928), photographer, in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

on 4 February 1861, and they moved to

Stratford, Ontario Stratford is a city on the Avon River within Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a 2016 population of 31,465 in a land area of . Stratford is the seat of Perth County, which was settled by English, Irish, Scottish and German im ...

. After the death of a son, Maitland became depressed, which not only affected her health but her writing as well, with many of her poems, after the death, being tinged with sadness. Her poems were collected and prepared for publication. A number of hymns written by Maitland were set to music.

Personal life

Maitland and her husband had six children including, William James, Minnie Margaret, Marianne, Isabella "Belle" McDonald, Eleanor Lillian "Nellie", and George Herrie. She lived in Elgin, Scotland (1839-1857); Hamilton, Ontario (1861-1864); St. Catharines, Ontario (c1865-c1874);

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

and

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 ...

; Stratford, Ontario (1877, 1881, 1891, 1911); and

St. Marys, Ontario St. Marys is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the north branch of the Thames River and Trout Creek southwest of Stratford, and is surrounded by the Township of Perth South in Perth County, Ontario. St. ...

(-1919). Her religion was Baptist. She died 24 February 1919 at St. Marys, Ontario, at the age of 80.

Selected works

*''Autumn Leaves'', 1907 * ''God Speed the True: a Little Volume of Cheerful Canadian Verse'', 1919 *''Keep a light in the window burning'' (hymn) *''Today the saints in Zion are watching'' (hymn)

References

Attribution

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maitland, Mary Ann 19th-century Canadian short story writers 19th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian short story writers 20th-century Canadian women writers People from Elgin, Moray Canadian women poets Canadian hymnwriters 1919 deaths 1839 births Canadian women short story writers 19th-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian poets Scottish emigrants to Canada Women hymnwriters