Mildred A. Bonham (, Baker;

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 ...

, Mizpah; August 6, 1840 – July 28, 1907) was a 19th-century American travel writer from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. In 1858, she married Judge

Benjamin F. Bonham Benjamin F. Bonham (October 8, 1828 – June 2, 1906) was an American educator, politician, and judge in Oregon. He was the 9th chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Overall he was on Oregon's highest court from 1870 to 1876. Prior to joini ...

, later removing to

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

where her descriptions in the letters she wrote to the ''

Oregon Statesman The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Oreg ...

'' were eagerly read and highly commended. Her vivid stories clearly portrayed the beauties of that city and the social relations of the people. Bonham did some work among the women of India, and succeeded in raising to found a scholarship for women in one of the schools in India.

Early life and education

Mildred Amanda Baker was born in

Magnolia, Illinois Magnolia is a village in Putnam County, Illinois, Putnam County, Illinois, United States. The population was 260 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa, Illinois, Ottawa Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

, in August, 1840, her ancestors being from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. She was the eldest child of John Baker, an Oregon pioneer of 1847. Her parents removed to

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

in 1847, settling in the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...

Career

Ram Chandra Goenka Zenana Bathing Ghat Signage - Kolkata 2012-10-15 0771

In 1858, she married Judge

, of

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

. In 1885, Judge Bonham was appointed Consul-General to

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, and removed his family to

the same year. There were seven children from her marriage, only two of whom survived, Raphael P. Bonham, United States Immigration Inspector, stationed at

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...

, and Mrs. Winona Larkins, of Salem. Bonham always had a liking for literary work, but the cares of a large family and social duties gave her little leisure time, and it was not until her residence abroad that the opportunity came. During five years, her letters over the name " Mizpah" attracted much attention and were widely circulated by the Oregon and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

press. Bonham had a gift of observing closely, and her descriptions of foreign scenes made a valuable addition to the knowledge of Anglo-Indian life and customs. Her letters from the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

and other far-off places were considered the best. After returning to the United States, she gave several lectures on her experiences in the far East and life among the

Zenana Zenana ( fa, زنانه, ur, , bn, জেনানা, hi, ज़नाना) literally meaning "of the women" or "pertaining to women", in Persian language contextually refers to the part of a house belonging to a Muslim, Sikh, or Hindu f ...

Death and legacy

Bonham died July 28, 1907, in Salem, one of the oldest pioneer residents of that city. Her papers are held in the Special Collections of the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduate ...

References

Attribution

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonham, Mildred A. 1840 births 1907 deaths 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American non-fiction writers People from Putnam County, Illinois American travel writers American women travel writers Writers from Illinois Writers from Salem, Oregon Pseudonymous women writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century