author
1821–1884
Remembered for gentle children's stories and warm holiday tales, this 19th-century writer published as Sarah P. Doughty and was also listed under the name Sarah Parsons Worcester. Her surviving work has a calm, kindly tone that still suits family reading.
by Sarah P. (Sarah Parsons) Doughty
Born in 1821 and died in 1884, she is identified in Project Gutenberg as Sarah P. (Sarah Parsons) Doughty, with the alias Worcester, Sarah Parsons. That evidence suggests she published under more than one form of her name, a useful clue when tracing her work in older catalogs.
The writing most easily confirmed today is Playing Santa Claus, and Other Christmas Tales, a collection that shows her interest in stories for younger readers and in domestic, moral, and seasonal themes. Other catalog traces also connect her with children's books such as Stories and Rhymes for Boys and Girls and Stories for Little Children.
Reliable biographical detail about her life appears to be limited in the readily available sources, so much of her reputation now survives through these children’s books rather than through extensive personal records. Even so, the titles linked to her name suggest a writer who worked in the tradition of 19th-century family reading: simple, affectionate, and meant to entertain while gently teaching.