Helen Maud Merrill

Helen Maud Merrill
Born (1865-05-05)May 5, 1865
Bangor, Maine
Died (1943-11-26)November 26, 1943
Portland, Maine
Pen name Samantha Spriggins
Occupation litterateur, poet
Nationality US
Notable works "The Angel in the Stone"

Helen Maud Merrill (pen name, Samantha Spriggins; May 5, 1865 - November 26, 1943) was an American litterateur and poet from Maine. Her first published poem was in the Waterville Sentinel, in 1882. During the decade of 1882-1892, Merrill contributed numerous poems to the St. Nicholas Magazine, Portland Transcript, the Gospel Banner and other journals. She also engaged in editorial work.[1]

Early years and education

Helen Maud (or Maude) Merrill was born in Bangor, Maine, May 5, 1865. From 1881 to 1887, she lived in Bucksport, Maine. Delicate in her childhood, she was cared for by her mother.[2]

Career

In 1889, Merrill removed to Portland, Maine. There, she soon became connected with several literary associations. Early on, she showed a talent for composition, and from 1882, she was a contributor, both in prose and verse, to the newspaper press. Her humorous sketches over the pen name "Samantha Spriggins" had extensive reading. In 1885, she wrote a poem on the death of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, which was forwarded to his widow, and a grateful acknowledgment was received by the author in return. Her memorial odes and songs written for the anniversaries of the Grand Army of the Republic were appreciated. In Poets of Maine, she received honorable mention,[2] and "The Angel in the Stone" was selected for insertion as a demonstration of her versification style.[3] She died November 26, 1943 in Portland.

References

  1. ↑ Griffith 1888, p. 838.
  2. 1 2 Willard & Livermore 1897, p. 500-01.
  3. ↑ Moulton 1889, p. 325.

Bibliography

  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Griffith, George Bancroft (1888). The Poets of Maine: A Collection of Specimen Poems from Over Four Hundred Verse-makers of the Pine-tree State (Public domain ed.). Portland, Maine: Elwell, Pickard & Company.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Moulton, Charles Wells (1889). The Magazine of Poetry and Literary Review (Public domain ed.). C.W. Moulton.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1897). American Women: Fifteen Hundred Biographies with Over 1,400 Portraits : a Comprehensive Encyclopedia of the Lives and Achievements of American Women During the Nineteenth Century (Public domain ed.). Mast, Crowell & Kirkpatrick.
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