author
Day Kellogg Lee
1816–1869
A 19th-century Universalist minister who also turned everyday American life into fiction, writing warmly about work, family, and rural communities. He is best known today for Summerfield; or, Life on a Farm, a novel that brings frontier-era New York to life.
1 Audiobook
Summerfield or, Life on a Farm
by Day Kellogg Lee
About the author
Born in Sempronius, New York, on September 10, 1816, Day Kellogg Lee was an American Universalist clergyman and writer. Contemporary and library records identify him as both a pastor and an author, and his published work often reflects a strong interest in ordinary people, moral questions, and community life.
Lee entered the ministry in the 1830s and served a number of Universalist congregations during his career. Alongside his religious work, he wrote several books, including Summerfield; or, Life on a Farm, Merrimack; or, Life at the Loom, and The Master Builder; or, Life at a Trade. These titles suggest the range of subjects that interested him: farm life, industrial labor, and skilled work in everyday America.
He died in New York City on January 20, 1869. Although he is not widely known now, his writing remains of interest for readers who enjoy 19th-century fiction grounded in work, place, and the rhythms of daily life.