Jane Elizabeth Conklin

Jane Elizabeth Conklin
Born Jane Elizabeth Dexter
July 7, 1831
Utica, New York, U.S.
Died December 19, 1914(1914-12-19) (aged 83)
Utica, New York, U.S.
Occupation Poet, religious writer, elocutionist
Language English
Nationality United States
Alma mater Utica Female Academy, Mrs. Brinkerhof's School for Young Ladies
Spouse Cramer H. Conklin

Jane Elizabeth Conklin (July 7, 1831 - 19 December 1914) was a 19th-century American poet and religious writer from New York. For three years, she served as president of the Woman's Relief Corps of the Grand Army of the Republic. She enjoyed a reputation as an elocutionist; and was the author of three volumes of poetry. She was born and died in Utica, New York.

Early years and education

Jane Elizabeth Dexter's great-grandfather, Gregor (or George) Grant), chieftain of Clan Grant, from Abernethy, Scotland, came to the United States in 1774. He joined the Continental Army and served during the American Revolutionary War. Dexter's mother was the daughter of William W. Williams, an architect of Albany, New York. Dexter's father was born in Paris, New York, his parents having removed to that town from Mansfield, Connecticut in the latter part of the 18th century.[1]

Conklin was born in Utica and received her education in the Utica Female Academy and in Mrs. Brinkerhof's School for Young Ladies in Albany. Her first composition was written in verse. When she was 14 years old, her poems were first published, and after that time, she wrote continuously.[1]

Career

While none of her poems were strictly hymns, many of them were sung in religious meetings. She was, for many years, a contributor to the Utica Gospel Messenger. She also wrote prose and poetry for a New York City weekly, and for several local papers. In 1884, she published a book of poems, which was favorably received. In 1897, she was preparing a second volume of poems,[1] ultimately publishing three books of poetry in total. Conklin was also remembered as an elocutionist.[2][3]

Personal life

In December, 1865, she married Cramer H. Conklin, a veteran of the American Civil War, and they subsequently lived in Binghamton, New York. Conklin took great interest in the American Civil War and in the defenders of the Republic.

When the Grand Army of the Republic post to which her husband belonged formed a Relief Corps of wives and daughters, she was one of the first to sign a call for a charter. Shortly after the Corps was organized, she was elected its president, and for three years, she held that office.[1] Conklin died at her home in Utica on December 19, 1914.[4]

Selected works

"Poems of Jane E.D. Conklin"

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Willard & Livermore 1897, p. 198-99.
  2. ↑ Herringshaw 1904, p. 242.
  3. ↑ Herman & Tal 1984, p. 411.
  4. ↑ "Mrs. Jane E.D. Conklin". Binghamton, New York: Press & Sun-Bulletin. December 21, 1914. p. 9. Retrieved July 18, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Conklin 1884.

Attribution

  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Conklin, Jane E.D. (1884). Poems of Jane E.D. Conklin (Public domain ed.). Press of J. J. Little.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herringshaw, Thomas William (1904). Herringshaw's Encyclopedia of American Biography of the Nineteenth Century: Accurate and Succinct Biographies of Famous Men and Women in All Walks of Life who are Or Have Been the Acknowledged Leaders of Life and Thought of the United States Since Its Formation ... (Public domain ed.). American Publishers' Association.
  • 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.

Bibliography

  • Herman, Kali; Tal, Kalí (1984). Women in Particular: An Index to American Women. Oryx Press.
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