Josephine Scribner Gates

Born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, on September 12, 1859, she later moved with her family to Toledo, where she spent most of her life. She married Charles H. Gates in 1881 and became known as an American writer for children.

Her best-known work includes the Live Dolls stories, along with other whimsical books such as The Story of the Mince Pie. Contemporary and later reference sources describe her as especially popular with young readers around the turn of the 20th century, and her fiction often blends make-believe, household objects, and a warm sense of wonder.

She died in Toledo, Ohio, in August 1930. Many of her books are now in the public domain, which has helped keep her stories available for new generations of readers and listeners.