author
Laura Dayton Fessenden
A versatile American writer who published romances, poems, songs, and family history, she built a wide-ranging literary life from the late 19th century into the early 20th. She also played an active role in club and community life in Illinois.
1 Audiobook
Hatsu: A Story of Egypt
by Laura Dayton Fessenden
About the author
Born Laura Canfield Spencer Dayton in New York on December 29, 1852, she later wrote both under her maiden name, Laura C. S. Dayton, and her married name, Laura Dayton Fessenden. Her published work stretched across many forms, including romances, magazine pieces, songs, and nonfiction.
Her career lasted from the 1870s into the 1920s, and she is especially remembered for books such as Kaskaskia, Essie, and Genealogical Story: Dayton and Tomlinson. That mix of fiction, verse, and family history gives her work an appealing range for readers interested in overlooked American writers of the period.
Beyond her writing, she was associated with civic and cultural life in Highland Park, Illinois, where she is noted as the founder of the Highland Park Woman's Club. She died on May 11, 1924, leaving behind a body of work that reflects both literary ambition and strong personal interests in history, family, and community.