Frances C. Sparhawk

Born in 1847, Frances C. Sparhawk—also known as Frances Campbell Sparhawk—was an American author associated with New England literary circles. She wrote essays and other literary works, and her name is preserved in library and public-domain records that list her as the author of Whittier at Close Range.

That book helped keep alive the memory of poet John Greenleaf Whittier, whom she knew personally. She was also known as a lecturer, and a biographical profile from her era presents her as an active participant in the cultural and intellectual life of her time.

Sparhawk died in 1930. While detailed modern biographical material about her is limited, the surviving references suggest a writer valued for her literary interests, her public speaking, and her firsthand recollections of an important American poet.