author
Aunt Fanny
1822–1894
Best known by the pen name “Aunt Fanny,” this 19th-century American writer helped shape early children’s literature with lively, moral, family-friendly stories. Her books were widely read in their day and written to entertain young readers while gently teaching them.
13 Audiobooks
The Fairy Nightcaps
by Aunt Fanny
The Orphan's Home Mittens, and George's Account of the Battle of Roanoke Island Being the Sixth and Last Book of the Series
by Aunt Fanny
Aunt Fanny's Story-Book for Little Boys and Girls
by Aunt Fanny
Baby Nightcaps
by Aunt Fanny
More Mittens; with The Doll's Wedding and Other Stories Being the third book of the series
by Aunt Fanny
Pop-Guns: One Serious and One Funny
by Aunt Fanny
The Little Nightcap Letters
by Aunt Fanny
About the author
Born Frances Elizabeth Mease in Charleston, South Carolina, on February 22, 1822, she later became known to readers as Aunt Fanny. She was educated in New York City, married James Barrow Jr., and spent much of her life connected to New York literary circles.
She began publishing for children in 1855 under the name Aunt Fanny and went on to write many books for young readers over the next fifteen years. Her stories were known for their warm, instructive tone, and works such as Six Nightcaps helped build her reputation with families in the United States and abroad.
Frances Elizabeth Barrow died in New York on May 7, 1894. Though not as widely remembered today as some of her contemporaries, she was an important early voice in American children’s writing and a familiar name to generations of 19th-century readers.