Emma May Buckingham
Emma May Buckingham (November 17, 1836 — November 8, 1919) was an American writer and educator.
Early life[edit]
Emma May (or in some sources, Mary Emma) Buckingham was born into the large farming family of Ambrose Whittlesey Buckingham and Mahala Kellee Buckingham, in Paupack Township, Pennsylvania.[1] She trained as a teacher at Wyoming Seminary, near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.[2]
Career[edit]
Buckingham taught school in Scranton, Hazleton, and Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and was principal at a school in Westbrook, Connecticut.[2] Poor health disrupted her employment; "'over-much study' prostrated a delicate organism, and failing health induced her to resign her place," according to one account.[1] She wrote articles for teachers' journals, including "Aesthetic Culture", "Music in Taste-Culture", and "Eye and Hand Culture", all in Pennsylvania School Journal.[3][4][5]
Buckingham is known for her first book, A Self-Made Woman: or, Mary Idyl’s Trials and Triumphs (1873), a novel in which the main character is a "sickly" woman writer, nurse, and teacher, who is disowned by her father for pursuing an education and a career.[6] The novel was a success through at least three editions.[7] Further published works by Buckingham included Pearl: A Centennial Poem (1877),[8] The Silver Chalice, and Other Poems (1878), Parson Thorne's Trial, a Novel (1880),[9] Modern Ghost Stories (1906),[10] and His Second Love (1907).[11][12]
Personal life[edit]
Buckingham lived in Honesdale and Hamlin, Wayne County, Pennsylvania as an adult, caring for her mother until her mother died in 1904. She was a member of the Honesdale Presbyterian Church, and active in the local chapter of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), and other temperance events.[13] The women of Hamlin gave a surprise party for Buckingham's birthday in 1913.[14] She died at the "Home for the Friendless" in Scranton in 1919, a few days before her 83rd birthday.[2][15]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Frederic William Chapman, The Buckingham Family; Or the Descendants of Thomas Buckingham (Case, Lockwood & Brainard 1872): 227-228.
- ^ a b c Peter Becker, "Local History: Emma May Buckingham, Tackled Social Issues with her Pen" Archived 2018-10-18 at the Wayback Machine The News Eagle (February 6, 2017).
- ^ Emma May Buckingham, "Aesthetic Culture" Pennsylvania School Journal (October 1873): 123-124.
- ^ Emma May Buckingham, "Music in Taste-Culture" Pennsylvania School Journal (December 1873): 190-191.
- ^ Emma May Buckingham, "Eye and Hand Culture" Pennsylvania School Journal (June 1874): 384-386.
- ^ Jaime Osterman Alves. "'What mighty transformations!': Disfigurement and Self-Improvement in Emma May Buckingham’s A Self-Made Woman" Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers 30(1)(2013): 101-123. DOI: 10.5250/legacy.30.1.0101
- ^ Untitled news item, Wilkes-Barre Times Leader (October 22, 1874): 2. via Newspapers.com
- ^ Emma May Buckingham, Pearl: A Centennial Poem (S. R. Wells & Company 1877).
- ^ Emma May Buckingham, Pastor Thorne's Trial: A Novel (G. W. Carleton 1880).
- ^ Emma May Buckingham, Modern Ghost Stories: A Medley of Dreams, Impressions, and Spectral Illusions (Fowler & Wells Co. 1906).
- ^ Advertisement, The Phrenological Journal and Science of Health (December 1907): 14.
- ^ Online Books by Emma May Buckingham, The Online Books Page.
- ^ "Hamlin" The Citizen (May 27, 1910): 8. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Hamlin", The Scranton Republican (November 22, 1913): 15. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Miss Emma May Buckingham" The Scranton Republican (November 10, 1919): 2. via Newspapers.com
