Maud Wilder Goodwin

Born in Ballston Spa, New York, in 1856, Maud Wilder Goodwin was an American author who wrote historical fiction, biography, and popular history. She is especially associated with books about colonial and early American life, and her work helped introduce many general readers to the people and atmosphere of the nation’s beginnings.

She published widely across the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among her best-known works are The Colonial Cavalier, The Head of a Hundred, and White Aprons, along with nonfiction and biographical writing. Her career shows a steady interest in turning historical research into readable, character-centered narratives.

Goodwin died in New York City in 1935. While she is not as widely read now as some of her contemporaries, her writing remains part of the long tradition of American historical storytelling, especially the kind that invites readers to experience the texture of everyday life in the past.