Martha Finley

Martha Finley
Born	April 26, 1828 Chillicothe, Ohio
Died	January 30, 1909 Elkton, Maryland
Occupation	teacher and author

Martha Finley (April 26, 1828 – January 30, 1909)^[1] was a teacher and author of numerous works for children, the best known being the 28-volume Elsie Dinsmore series which was published over a span of 38 years. Her books tend to be sentimental, with a strong emphasis on religious belief.

The daughter of Presbyterian minister Dr. James Brown Finley and his wife and cousin Maria Theresa Brown Finley, she was born on April 26, 1828, in Chillicothe, Ohio. Finley wrote many of her books under the pseudonym Martha Farquharson. She died in 1909 in Elkton, Maryland, where she moved in 1876.

List of publications

• Ella Clinton; or, By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1856 – online at Project Gutenberg
• Aunt Ruth, Philadelphia, 1857
• Marion Harvie, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1857
• Annandale: A story of the times of the Covenanters, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1858
• Lame Letty, Philadelphia, 1859
• Try: Better Do It, Than Wish It Done, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1863
• Little Joe Carter, The Cripple, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1864
• Mysie's Work, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1864
• Willie Elton, The Little Boy Who Loved Jesus, Philadelphia, 1864
• Black Steve; or The Strange Warning, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1865
• Brookside Farm-House, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1865
• Hugo and Franz, Philadelphia, 1865
• Robert and Daisy, Philadelphia, 1865
• Allan's Fault, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1866
• Anna Hand, the Meddlesome Girl, Philadelphia, 1868
• Casella, Dodd, 1868
• Grandma Foster's Sunbeam, Philadelphia, 1868
• Little Dick Positive, Philadelphia, 1868
• The Little Helper, 1868
• Little Patience, Philadelphia, 1868
• Loitering Linus, Philadelphia, 1868
• Maude's Two Home, Philadelphia, 1868
• Millie, or The Little Girl Who Tried To Help Others and Do Them Good, Philadelphia, 1868
• Stupid Sally, the Poor-House Girl, Philadelphia, 1868
• Amy and Her Kitten, Philadelphia, 1870
• Betty Page, Philadelphia, 1970
• The Broken Basket, Philadelphia, 1870
• Jamie by the Lake, Philadelphia, 1870
• Rufus the Unready, Philadelphia, 1870
• The White Dress, Philadelphia, 1870
• An Old-Fashioned Boy, Evans, 1871
• Lilian; or, Did She Do It Right?, Evans, 1871
• Wanted—A Pedigree, Dodd, 1871
• Contented Jim, Philadelphia, 1872
• Honest Jim, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1872
• How Him Did It, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1872
• Noll in the Country, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1872
• The Twin Babies, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1872
• Our Fred, Donohue, 1874
• The Peddler of La Grave, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1875
• Aunt Hetty's Fowls, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry and His Chickens, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry and His Cousins, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry At Aunt Jane's, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry's Christmas in the City, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry's Fourth of July, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry's Grandma, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry's Little Sister, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry's Ride With Papa, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry's Walk With Grandma, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• The Pewit's Nest, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Rosa and Robbie, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Signing the Contract, Dodd, 1879 – online at Project Gutenberg
• The Thorn in the Nest, Dodd, 1886 – online at Project Gutenberg
• The Tragedy of Wild River Valley, Dodd, 1893 – online at Project Gutenberg
• Twiddledetwit, A Fairytale, Dodd, 1898

References

External links

• Works by Martha Finley at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Martha Finley at Internet Archive
• Works by Martha Finley at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
• 19th Century Girls' Series
• The Literature Network biography of Martha Finley
• Martha Finley at Library of Congress Authorities, with 157 catalog records