Mary Temple Bayard (, Temple; after first marriage, Bayard, after second marriage, Jamison;

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 ...

, Meg; July 23, 1853 – August 17, 1916) was an American writer and journalist. Her literary work was mostly written for magazines in the interest of women's social reform and philanthropic movements. Her reputation as a writer was made under the

of "Meg".

Early life and education

Mary J. Temple was born in Waynesburg, Greene County, Pennsylvania, July 23, 1853. Her parents were Justus Fordyce Temple (1824-1895), and Nancy Ann Schroy (1836–1875). Mary had three siblings, including Anna and James. She was educated at Waynesburg College (now Waynesburg University), but dropped out before finishing. She eventually returned to Waynesburg College and finished her education with her son, Temple, her last session in college being his first.

Career

In 1869, she married William J. Bayard (1849-1924). They had one child, Justus Temple Bayard (1872-1893). In the same year of their son's birth, the couple divorced and William remarried. For some time during her adult life, Bayard's resided in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her first article that called out editorial comment was written from Montreal, Canada, to a home paper in Waynesburg, and copied in the ''Pittsburgh Post''. It was greatly praised, and friends urged her to continue writing. With characteristic modesty, she fancied that that letter being signed by her full name, and her father being a prominent politician and a personal friend of the publishers of the ''Post'', they had copied it out of compliment to him only. She was finally induced, however, to test the merit of her work by writing under a

, and sent an article to a Sunday paper in Pittsburgh. It was a

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

on the then prevailing fashions, and received so much notice that the editor of the paper advertised for "Meg" to call at the office of the '' Pittsburgh Dispatch'' and make herself known. The result was a permanent engagement, and ever after, her work found such ready sale that she was in constant demand. Bayard later became a member of the staff of the '' Philadelphia Times''. She continued to use the pen name for her gossip-related work, while she signed her full name to her literary labors for magazines. In the early 1890s, for 14 months, Bayard was in the hospital with her son, Temple, and wrote to earn the money that paid for his bed. Once, she finished important work while he was in the operating room. After he died, in 1893, she was left alone. She then overworked so continually that she was often ill. At the close of the Press Congress of the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, May 1893, Bayard presented her paper on "Woman in Journalism". Mary Temple Bayard (The Fourth Estate, 1895)

Mary Temple Bayard (The Fourth Estate, 1895)

On December 22, 1897, at

Kings, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behin ...

, she married William Armstrong Jamison (1855–1928), a physician. The marriage occurred during the period she published in the '' Home Monthly''. After marriage, she removed to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and then at McDonald, Pennsylvania. In April 1899, Bayard was a delegate to the International League of Press Clubs' convention in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

. Bayard was a member of the Woman's National Press League, the Women's Press Club (of Pittsburgh), and the League of American pen Women.

Personal life

Bayard traveled extensively both in her own country and Europe. In 1908, Bayard was hospitalized for several months. She was a member of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

. In religion, she was a

Cumberland Presbyterian The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening.Matthew H. Gore, The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988, (Memphis, Tennessee: Joint Heritage Committee, 2000). ...

. Following a protracted illness, extending over more than a year, her condition had been extremely critical for some time, Mary Temple Bayard Jamison died at Latrobe, August 17, 1916. She was buried at the Unity Cemetery, Unity Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

Selected works

* "Our Hospital Nurses", 1893 * "Woman in Journalism", 1894 * "How to Beautify a Home", 1894 * "Going Out of Town. Timely Reflections for Next Season.", 1894 * "Dr. Oronhyatekha", 1896

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayard, Mary Temple 1853 births 1916 deaths 19th-century American writers 19th-century American journalists 19th-century pseudonymous writers 19th-century American women writers Daughters of the American Revolution people People from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania Writers from Pennsylvania Pseudonymous women writers