author
Louise Seymour Houghton
1838–1920
A wide-ranging writer and editor, she moved between religion, education, translation, and social work with unusual energy. Her books include devotional and historical works as well as the much-loved collection The Russian Grandmother's Wonder Tales.
1 Audiobook
The Russian Grandmother's Wonder Tales
by Louise Seymour Houghton, Friedrich S. (Friedrich Salomo) Krauss
About the author
Born in Piermont, New York, in 1838, Louise Seymour Houghton built a life around words, teaching, and public service. Reliable biographical sources describe her as an American religious writer, translator, editor, educator, and settlement worker, and note that she traveled and lectured widely.
Her career reached across several fields. She was connected with Vassar College, worked with the McAll Mission in France, and later with the Jacob A. Riis Settlement in Manhattan. She also served in editorial roles at the New York Evangelist and Christian Work and Evangelist, which helps explain the clear, purposeful style found across much of her writing.
Houghton wrote extensively, especially on religious and historical subjects, and she also translated from French and German. For audiobook listeners, she may be especially memorable as the author of The Russian Grandmother's Wonder Tales, a collection that sits alongside a much larger body of work shaped by curiosity, faith, and a strong sense of social responsibility.