Helen Fuller Orton

Born on November 1, 1872, on a farm in western New York, she grew up in a family of teachers and later taught elementary school herself. After marrying Jesse F. Orton, who studied and taught at the University of Michigan, she continued learning by auditing university courses.

She began publishing children's books in 1921. Early on, she wrote nature stories for younger children, then became especially known for historical fiction and mysteries that brought everyday life in earlier America close to young readers.

Over the course of her career, she wrote more than thirty-five books for children. Her work remained popular with teachers, librarians, and young history-loving readers, and she died in 1955.