Mary Newmarch Prescott (1849–1888) was a 19th-century American author and poet, popular as a magazine-writer. She was the author of ''Matt's Follies'', a juvenile tale, and ''Poems'' (1912).

Biography

Mary Newmarch Prescott was born in Calais, Maine, August 2, 1849. Her parents were Joseph Newmarch Prescott (1807–1881) and Sarah Jane (Bridges) Prescott (1811–1883). Mary had several siblings, including the writer,

Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford (April 3, 1835 – August 14, 1921) was an American writer of novels, poems and detective stories. One of the United States's most widely-published authors, her career spanned more than six decades and included ...

, as well as Annie, William, Katherine, Otis, Edith, and Sarah. When Mary was still very young, the family removed to

Newburyport, Massachusetts Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...

, Many notable people were allied with the Prescott family, notably Sir

William Pepperrell Sir William Pepperrell, 1st Baronet (27 June 1696 – 6 July 1759) was a merchant and soldier in colonial Massachusetts. He is widely remembered for organizing, financing, and leading the 1745 expedition that captured the French fortr ...

John Brydges, 1st Baron Chandos John Brydges, 1st Baron Chandos (9 March 1492 – 12 April 1557) was an English courtier, Member of Parliament and later peer. His last name is also sometimes spelt Brugge or Bruges. He was a prominent figure at the English court during the r ...

, and the historian,

William H. Prescott William Hickling Prescott (May 4, 1796 – January 28, 1859) was an American historian and Hispanist, who is widely recognized by historiographers to have been the first American scientific historian. Despite having serious visual impairm ...

, while more recently, Secretary of State,

William M. Evarts William Maxwell Evarts (February 6, 1818February 28, 1901) was an American lawyer and statesman from New York who served as U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Senator from New York. He was renowned for his skills as a litiga ...

and the Hoar brothers,

Ebenezer Ebenezer may refer to: Bible * Eben-Ezer, a place mentioned in the Books of Samuel People * Ebenezer (given name), a male given name Places Australia * Ebenezer, New South Wales * Ebenezer, Queensland, a locality in the City of Ipswich * Ebeneze ...

and

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

. Her father, Joseph Prescott, was then a lumber merchant in Calais; afterward he studied and practised law. In 1849, he became attracted by the Pacific coast, and, leaving his family in their Maine home, went out among the host of

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

pioneers to seek his fortune. He was one of the founders of Oregon City, Oregon, and three times elected its mayor. In the midst of arduous work, he was seized with lingering paralysis, that made him an invalid for life. At the age of 15, she published the first of the hundreds of sketches and poems. Close to nature, even in colloquial writing, she did not exaggerate. Her writings were almost entirely confined to the magazines of the day, her only publishers' volume being ''Matt's Follies''. Her contributions to ''

Our Young Folks ''Our Young Folks: an Illustrated Magazine for Boys and Girls'' was a monthly United States children’s magazine, published between January 1865 and December 1873. It was printed in Boston by Ticknor and Fields from 1865 to 1868, and then by James ...

'' and the several publications of the Scribners and Harpers were well-regarded by her readers. Mary Newmarch Prescott died June 14, 1888, in

Selected works

* ''Matt's Follies: And Other Stories'', 1896
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* ''The Pet of the Family: Stories, Sketches, Poems and Pictures for the Youth'' (with Mrs. D. P. Sanford, Clara Doty Bates, Emily Huntington Miller), 1896
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* ''Poems'', 1912
text

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prescott, Mary Newmarch 1849 births 1888 deaths 19th-century American writers 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American poets American women poets Writers from Massachusetts Writers from Maine American children's writers American women children's writers American magazine writers People from Calais, Maine People from Newburyport, Massachusetts