Pansy

Born Isabella Macdonald in Rochester, New York, on November 3, 1841, she became widely known by her childhood nickname and pen name, Pansy. She was educated largely at home by her father, and that early training in reading and writing helped shape a long, productive literary career.

After marrying Presbyterian minister Gustavus R. Alden in 1866, she continued writing and went on to publish a large body of fiction for young readers as well as religious and family reading. Among her best-known books are Four Girls at Chautauqua, Tip Lewis and his Lamp, and The King's Daughter. Her stories were especially popular for the way they blended everyday life, humor, and Christian conviction.

She died in Palo Alto, California, on August 5, 1930. Though best remembered today as a children's author and religious novelist, her work reached a remarkably wide audience in her own time and made "Pansy" a familiar name in many homes.