James Hartwell Willard

James Hartwell Willard was an American writer and editor born in Vermont in 1847. Records available online indicate that he died in Philadelphia in 1907, and contemporary listings describe him as both an editor and a writer.

He is most often remembered for short religious and children's books, especially retellings of Biblical stories such as The Adopted Son: The Story of Moses, The Farmer Boy: The Story of Jacob, A Farmer's Wife: The Story of Ruth, The Man Who Did Not Die: The Story of Elijah, and The First Easter. Catalog records also credit him as the editor of Mother Goose Melodies and Nursery Rhymes.

Much of Willard's work seems to have been written for younger readers, with an emphasis on simple storytelling, moral themes, and accessible language. Even now, his books continue to circulate through public-domain libraries, where they offer a glimpse of the religious and educational reading made for children at the turn of the twentieth century.