Eliza Lee Cabot Follen

Born in Boston in 1787, she was an American writer, editor, and abolitionist who published prose and poetry from an early age. Reliable sources agree that she became a notable presence in Boston’s religious and literary life, and that she later married Charles Follen, a German-born professor and reformer, in 1828.

During her career she wrote and edited books for both adults and children. Sources including Wikipedia, Poetry Foundation, and Wikisource connect her with popular children’s literature, poetry, and editorial work such as The Child’s Friend, along with anti-slavery writing in the 1850s.

She died in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1860. Today she is often remembered both for her place in American children’s literature and for the way her writing joined everyday reading with moral and reform-minded ideals.