author
H. V. (Harriet Vaughan) Cheney
1796–1889
Known for lively historical romances and thoughtful religious writing for children, this 19th-century novelist moved between American and Canadian literary worlds. She came from a notably literary family and wrote stories rooted in early North American history.
1 Audiobook
The Rivals of Acadia An Old Story of the New World
by H. V. (Harriet Vaughan) Cheney
About the author
Harriet Vaughan Cheney (September 9, 1796 – May 14, 1889) was an American-Canadian novelist remembered for historical romances such as A Peep at the Pilgrims in Sixteen Thirty-Six and The Rivals of Acadia. She was born in Brighton, Massachusetts, and later lived in Montreal, where she became part of a wider literary circle.
Writing ran in the family. Cheney was the daughter of novelist Hannah Webster Foster, author of The Coquette, and the sister of writer Eliza Lanesford Cushing. Alongside her fiction, she also wrote religious works for children, showing the mix of storytelling and moral instruction that shaped much of her work.
Her books often looked back to colonial and early North American history, blending romance, adventure, and a strong sense of place. Although she is not widely read today, she remains an interesting figure for listeners who enjoy early historical fiction and women writers who helped connect American and Canadian literary culture in the 1800s.