Sarah Jane Lippincott
The Legendary "Grace Greenwood"
Sarah Jane Lippincott was a
nineteenth century journalist, author, and
philanthropist who is better known by her pen
name of "Grace Greenwood". In fact, she chose
the name because she thought it better fit her
tastes and talents.
Sarah was born in Pompey, New
York as Sarah Jane Clarke. As a child she loved
nature and found much delight in the romping
around in the fields and forests of her little
town. She was quite athletic and daring. In
fact, she outdid many of the boys of her town in
daring deeds. Another great love of hers was to
ride horses. And in this she preferred to ride
bareback.
As a young girl Sarah attended
school in Rochester, N.Y., and while she was a
good student, she cared little for mathematics
and the sciences. She could, however, write
verses and sketches with so much skill that
publishers sought to publish her work before she
was even fourteen years old. They thought her
writings fresh and racy.
Sarah had her own style of
writing. No one could be like her and she could
not be like anyone else. She was simply and
intensely herself. Sarah wrote several titles
under her pseudonym, including "Greenwood
Leaves", "History of My Pets", "Poems",
"Recollections of My Childhood", "Haps and
Mishaps of a Tour in Europe", "Forest Tragedy
and Other Tales", "Stories of Many Lands",
"History for Children", and "Victoria, Queen of
England". Her book on Queen Victoria was
published simultaneously in London and New York.
She also wrote for several periodicals either as
a contributor or an editor and delivered many
notable lectures and speeches.
In 1853, when Sarah was thirty
years old, she married Leander K. Lippincott of
Philadelphia. During the Civil War, Sarah took
up the cause of the sick and injured soldiers.
She rendered excellent service on their behalf
by lecturing for the fairs of the Sanitary
Commission, which were instituted by Mary A.
Livermore to raise funds to meet the needs of
the soldiers. Sarah also lectured to the
soldiers in camp, and President Lincoln dubbed
her "Grace Greenwood, the patriot".
Patricia Chadwick is the creator
of History's Women found at
www.historyswomen.com. She is
also author of the book
"History's Women - The Unsung
Heroines" available in print and
ebook formats at
www.historyswomen.com
|
