Sarah Knowles Bolton

Born in Farmington, Connecticut, in 1841, Sarah Knowles Bolton became known as an American author, editor, and biographical writer. She married Charles E. Bolton in 1866 and later lived in Cleveland, while building a career that included journalism, literary work, and reform activity.

Bolton wrote extensively for newspapers and magazines, served as associate editor of the Congregationalist from 1878 to 1881, and was active in the temperance movement. She is especially remembered for books that introduced readers to the lives of accomplished women, including Lives of Girls Who Became Famous, as well as for her poetry and other biographical studies.

Her writing has an encouraging, accessible quality that fits the audiobook world well: she often chose real lives and turning points as her subject, making history feel personal and readable. She died in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1916, but her books continued to circulate for years afterward.