Anna Maynard Barbour (died May 10, 1941) was an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

of best-selling

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

. A 1903 article in ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' stated that "A. Maynard Barbour has been generally hailed as the most successful of American writers of mystery."

Biography

Anna Barbour was born in

Mansfield, New York Mansfield is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 843 at the 2020 census. The name was thought to be that of a noble family in England. The town is centrally located in Cattaraugus County, north of Little Val ...

, in the 19th century to Fayette Barbour and Jane E. Cutler. Her parents died when she was young. During the late 19th century, she lived in

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

, where she worked for the U. S. Government. She married an English gentleman in 1893, and her husband reportedly encouraged her writing career. In 1907 she became an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

deaconess The ministry of a deaconess is, in modern times, a usually non-ordained ministry for women in some Protestant, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox churches to provide pastoral care, especially for other women, and which may carry a limited ...

at the House of Mercy in Boston and subsequently worked in Boston and Tennessee.With information from brief biography (''The New York Times'', 30 Nov. 1901, p. BR13) and obituary ("Deaconess Anna Barbour: Author of 'That Mainwaring Affair,' a Best Seller of 1900," ''The New York Times'', 16 May 1941, p. 23).

Works

* ''The Award of Justice; Or, Told in the Rockies: A Pen Picture of the West'' (1897) * ''That Mainwaring Affair'' (1900) * ''The award of justice'' (1901) * ''At the Time Appointed'' (1903) * ''Breakers Ahead'' (1906)

References

External links

* * *
Brief biography of A. Maynard Barbour (PDF format)
in ''The New York Times'', 30 Nov. 1901, p. BR13. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbour, Anna Maynard 1941 deaths 20th-century American novelists American mystery writers American women novelists Novelists from New York (state) Place of death missing Year of birth unknown People from Cattaraugus County, New York People from Helena, Montana Women mystery writers 20th-century American women writers