author
Annie Maria Barnes
1857–1933
A South Carolina writer and editor who began publishing while still a child, she built a remarkably varied career in journalism, fiction, and magazine work. Writing under the pen name “Cousin Annie,” she became known for lively stories and an early fascination with places far beyond her own region.
1 Audiobook
The Red Miriok
by Annie Maria Barnes
About the author
Born in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1857, Annie Maria Barnes was an American journalist, editor, and author. Sources agree that she started young: she reportedly wrote for the Atlanta Constitution as a child and later became a regular correspondent. She also edited and published The Acanthus, a paper for young readers, and used the pen name “Cousin Annie.”
Barnes worked across several forms of writing, from newspaper and magazine pieces to novels and stories. Her bibliography includes fiction for adults and younger readers, and she is still remembered for titles such as An American Girl in Korea, which reflects her interest in international settings at a time when many American readers would have found them unfamiliar and exciting.
Some reference sources disagree about details of her death year, but the date 1933 appears in the identification you provided and in grave-record sources. What stands out most clearly is the range of her career: Barnes was a prolific Southern writer who moved easily between journalism, editing, and popular fiction, building a literary life through steady work and wide curiosity.