Maud Wilder Goodwin

Born in Ballston Spa, New York, in 1856, Maud Wilder Goodwin became known as an American writer of historical fiction, biography, and popular history. She wrote about colonial America and the early United States in a way meant to engage general readers, not just specialists.

Her work includes historical novels such as Sir Christopher and The Colonial Cavalier, along with nonfiction including Dolly Madison and Dutch and English on the Hudson. Several of her books have remained accessible through Project Gutenberg, which reflects the lasting interest in her storytelling and her focus on American history.

Goodwin died in New York City in 1935. Though not as widely read today as some of her contemporaries, she remains a useful and appealing figure for readers interested in historical writing from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.