
author
1845–1928
Drawn to the stories hidden in old houses, family records, and early American society, this writer brought the Colonial and Revolutionary past to life for a wide readership. Her books blend history, biography, and genealogy with a clear affection for Philadelphia and the early republic.

by Anne Hollingsworth Wharton

by Anne Hollingsworth Wharton

by Anne Hollingsworth Wharton
Anne Hollingsworth Wharton was an American writer and historian, born in Pennsylvania on December 15, 1845, and based much of her life in Philadelphia. She focused especially on the social history of Colonial and Revolutionary America, writing books and magazine pieces that explored everyday life, notable women, family lineage, and historic places.
She was closely involved with hereditary and historical organizations, helping to found the Pennsylvania Society of the Colonial Dames of America and serving as historian of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Sources also note that she was a judge for the American Colonial Exhibit at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Her books include Through Colonial Doorways, Colonial Days and Dames, Life of Martha Washington, Social Life in the Early Republic, and English Ancestral Homes of Noted Americans.
Wharton also worked in genealogy, publishing The Wharton Family in 1880, and remained active in Philadelphia's historical life. She died on July 29, 1928, at her home on Locust Street in Philadelphia. Her writing still appeals to readers interested in early American culture, especially its homes, customs, and remarkable women.