author

Margaret Williamson

b. 1886

A writer of early 20th-century children's history books, this author is remembered for the John and Betty series, which introduced young readers to British and Irish history through storytelling. She also wrote about the building of Boston's First Church of Christ, Scientist, linking her literary work with her longtime church community.

1 Audiobook

John and Betty's History Visit

John and Betty's History Visit

by Margaret Williamson

About the author

Born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 18, 1886, Margaret H. Williamson later lived in West Newton, Massachusetts. Reliable records available here identify her as the daughter of Robert Worden Williamson and Elizabeth P. Freeman Metcalf Williamson, and note that she died in June 1938.

She is best known for children's books including John and Betty's History Visit and John and Betty's English History Visit from 1910, followed by John and Betty's Irish History Visit in 1914. These works suggest a gift for presenting history to younger readers in a lively, approachable way.

Before her death, she also wrote The Mother Church Extension, a book about the building of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston; it was published after her death in 1939. Available sources also describe her as a longtime member of the Christian Science Church, which helps explain the strong connection between her writing and church history.