Mary D. (Mary Dow) Brine

Mary Dow Brine was an American writer whose work included poetry, children’s stories, novels, and lyrics. She was born in New York City to William and Caroline Northam and published under the name Mary D. Brine as well as Mary Dow Brine. Catalogs and reference sources vary on her birth year, while consistently placing her death in 1925.

Brine wrote many books for children, including Grandma’s Memories, Grandma’s Attic Treasures, A Mother’s Song, Jingles and Joys for Wee Girls and Boys, and The Little New Neighbor. Her writing often centers on kindness, family bonds, childhood adventures, and everyday moral lessons. She also collaborated at times with her sister Caroline Augusta Northam, an illustrator of children’s books.