author

Margaret C. (Margaret Cockburn) Conkling

1814–1890

A 19th-century American writer with a gift for lively, accessible history, she is best remembered for books that brought famous figures and everyday manners to life for general readers.

1 Audiobook

The American Gentleman's Guide to Politeness and Fashion or, Familiar Letters to his Nephews

The American Gentleman's Guide to Politeness and Fashion or, Familiar Letters to his Nephews

by Margaret C. (Margaret Cockburn) Conkling

About the author

Born in Albany County, New York, in 1814, Margaret Cockburn Conkling was the daughter of Judge Alfred Conkling. She wrote during the mid-1800s and is associated with works of popular history and social guidance.

Her best-known books include Memoirs of the Mother and Wife of Washington, a work centered on Mary Ball Washington and Martha Washington, and The American Gentleman's Guide to Politeness and Fashion. Those titles suggest the range of her interests: from biographical storytelling to the customs and character expected in public life.

Conkling died in Jersey City in 1890. Although she is not widely read today, her books offer a useful window into the tastes, values, and reading culture of 19th-century America.