author
Margaret C. (Margaret Cockburn) Conkling
1814–1890
Remembered for lively mid-19th-century books on American history, manners, and fiction, this Albany-born writer brought a readable, personal touch to her subjects. Her best-known work revisits the lives of George Washington’s mother and wife, showing a strong interest in the people behind famous names.
1 Audiobook
The American Gentleman's Guide to Politeness and Fashion or, Familiar Letters to his Nephews
by Margaret C. (Margaret Cockburn) Conkling
About the author
Margaret C. Conkling was an American writer born in 1814 in New York, identified in reference works as Margaret Cockburn Conkling and, after marriage, Margaret Cockburn Conkling Steele. She was the daughter of Judge Alfred Conkling, and her work places her among the many 19th-century authors who moved comfortably between biography, fiction, translation, and practical social writing.
Her books include Memoirs of the Mother and Wife of Washington, Isabel; or, Trials of the Heart, a translation of Florian’s History of the Moors of Spain, and The American Gentleman’s Guide to Politeness and Fashion. Taken together, they suggest a writer interested both in the inner lives of historical figures and in the everyday customs of her era.
Conkling died in 1890. While she is not widely known today, her books still offer a window into 19th-century American reading tastes, especially the blend of moral instruction, historical curiosity, and accessible storytelling that made such works popular.