Mary D. (Mary Dow) Brine

Mary Dow Brine was an American poet, novelist, and lyricist who is generally listed as living from 1838 to 1925. She wrote across several forms, but she is most often remembered for the poem Somebody's Mother, a piece that helped give her a lasting place in anthologies and popular reading.

She also wrote books for younger readers, including My Boy and I; or, On the Road to Slumberland, which is noted for its illustrations by Dora Wheeler and its connection to a publishing venture associated with Louis Comfort Tiffany. Listings from major library and books resources also show a substantial body of work under her name, reflecting a career that reached both family readers and children.

The dates attached to her name can vary in catalogs and online references, so the birth year is not always given consistently. What is clear from the sources reviewed here is that she was a recognizable American literary figure of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in poetry and children's literature.