author
Mrs. Nathaniel Conklin
1841–1900
A popular 19th-century writer for young readers, she paired warm, character-driven fiction with a strong sense of care for people on the margins. She is also remembered for helping start the Shut-in Society, a service group that reached people confined at home by illness or disability.
3 Audiobooks
Miss Prudence: A Story of Two Girls' Lives.
by Mrs. Nathaniel Conklin
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline: A Story of the Development of a Young Girl's Life
by Mrs. Nathaniel Conklin
Growing Up: A Story of the Girlhood of Judith Mackenzie
by Mrs. Nathaniel Conklin
About the author
Born Jennie Maria Drinkwater in Portland, Maine, on April 14, 1841, she wrote under the name Mrs. Nathaniel Conklin. She became known while still very young for stories for children and later published books for girls as well as writing for the religious press.
Beyond her fiction, she was active in social service work. She is credited as the originator of the Shut-in Society, an organization created to connect and support people who were unable to leave their homes because of illness or disability.
She died in New Vernon, New Jersey, on April 28, 1900. Her work reflects both the moral tone of 19th-century children's literature and a genuine interest in everyday kindness, duty, and community.