author
Frances Boyd Calhoun
1867–1909
Best remembered for the warm, humorous children's classic Miss Minerva and William Green Hill, this Tennessee writer and teacher turned everyday Southern life into a story generations of young readers enjoyed. Her best-known book appeared only months before her death in 1909, adding a poignant note to her brief career.
1 Audiobook
Miss Minerva and William Green Hill
by Frances Boyd Calhoun
About the author
Born in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, in 1867, Frances Boyd Calhoun moved with her family to Covington, Tennessee, in 1880. She studied at Tipton Female Academy and later worked as a teacher, bringing to her writing a close feel for the speech, manners, and rhythms of ordinary family life.
She is chiefly remembered for Miss Minerva and William Green Hill (1909), a children's book that became her lasting success. The story's humor, lively dialogue, and affectionate picture of Southern home life helped it remain popular well beyond her lifetime.
Calhoun died in June 1909, only a few months after her famous book was published. Although little of her work is widely read today beyond that title, her reputation endures through a book that captured a vivid voice and charmed generations of readers.