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H. Trusta
1815–1852
Known to 19th-century readers by the pen name H. Trusta, this American writer produced children's books, domestic fiction, and religious pieces before her life was cut short at just 37. She is also remembered as the mother of novelist Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward.
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About the author
Elizabeth Wooster Stuart Phelps (1815–1852), who published as H. Trusta, was an American author born in Andover, Massachusetts. Reliable reference sources describe her as a writer of children's books, domestic fiction, and religiously themed articles and stories, with a body of work that included eleven books as well as many shorter pieces.
She used H. Trusta as a pen name, and some sources note that it is an anagram of Stuart, her maiden name. She married the minister and professor Austin Phelps, and their daughter, later known as Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward, became a well-known writer in her own right.
Although her life was brief, her work reached a wide audience in the mid-19th century, especially through books for young readers such as the Kitty Brown stories. Modern accounts also place her among early writers who helped shape literary depictions of New England life.