Hildegarde Hawthorne

Born in 1871, Hildegarde Hawthorne was an American author, poet, and biographer. She was the granddaughter of novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, and her family background stayed closely tied to literature throughout her life.

She wrote a wide range of books, including supernatural and ghost stories, biographies, and works for younger readers. That mix of eerie fiction and approachable nonfiction helped make her a versatile writer whose work could move from the uncanny to the warmly instructive.

Hawthorne died in 1952. Though she is less widely remembered than some of her relatives, her writing offers an interesting glimpse into early 20th-century popular literature, especially for readers drawn to classic ghost stories and literary family histories.