The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1912-07-19
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Book That Won a Bride for a
Biographer.
How James Parton's Life Of Greeley
Aroused tho Interest Of "Fan-
ny Fern" In tho
Author.
By e. J. EDWARDS.

Recently ! told the story Of how an
lis' Home Journal-James Parton
made himself famous az n blographer
by writing an anecdotal life OF Hor
ace Greeley in the middle fifties. when
the name and doods of the great Whig
editor were on the lips OF every Amer
lean. north and south. My authority
for the story was Partons friend, Hen
ry y. Stanton, husband of Elizabeth
Cady Stanton; and Mr.. Stanton Is
also authority for the story told here
of how his life Of Greeley won Parton
a bride.
Il had the story from ne lips u
the lady who became Parton's wife the
year after his Hge Ok Gresleg was nIos
lishsd-ths widowed sistsr Ut Nathan
tel p Willis. sand Ne. Stanton. She
was sAsa Sara MIdriGge n private 5fe.
though known from 1ns snd u rhe
country 90 tbs Gthsr - Fanny Fern
Ug 20 the gfms % 1he appearance gK
Uncle Tens Cabin Fanny fern sreed
pre-enaEusze among American women
authors. Asr sketches n tie New YORK
Ledger bringing FER u sanfscEas
income.
Not long after James Parton had
seen his life OF Greeley leap into IN
slant popularity. winning him a per
manent place among American oiog-
raphers, Fanny Fern visited her broth.
err at his estate, Tdiswild, near New
burg. N. Y. There she met for the
first time James Parton, an old EN-
ployee of her brothers and a friend.
Naturally, the subject OF Parton's sue
cess came up In the ordinary course
OF conversation--the book was the talk
of the day--and the poets sister
evinced a lively interest in the man
ner In which the material had been
collected for the life. Parton had spent
weeks travelling all over New Hamp-
shire, Vermont and Pennsylvania In
terviewing persons who had known
Greeley in the days OF his obscurity,
and Fanny Fern became so interested
In Parton's story of his travels that
she laughingly declared to him that
II he wrote a book entitled How |
Wrote My Life OF Greeley she be-
lieved 1t would be quite as popular as
the life itself.
Thus Parton entertained the IA
nous Fanny Fern, whose collected
sketches sold over 100000 copies be
fore the sale dropped of; while she, In
turn, found Parton deeply interested
in her stories OF her own career
how, for example, after the death OF
her husband she was In such strait
ened circumstances that she decided
to open a sewing school. venture
which was not very profitable. Then,
one day, she wrote out little sketch
and sent 1t to a newspaper. which pub
lished Ii and sent her dollar. But
is was not the pay that impressed
Fanny Fern; 1t was the fact that she
found the little sketch copied into a
great number OF newspapers; and,
Judging from this that she had struck
a popular chord, she went on her way
writing, and so wrote herself Into
fame.
in this way, and over Parton's Life
OF Greeley as 1t were, the courtship
OF the two writer's began. And when
their betrothal was made 1t was mu
tually agreed that each should go on
as he or she had gone on in the past
that each would maintain a separate
literary Identity. That agreement wat
perfectly kept. neither interfering II
the slightest degree with the others
literary work. And their married life
was ideal. and 1t was ideal because
Mr. and Mrs. James Parton were one
while James Parton, blographer. and
Fanny Fern. popular author, were two
entirely different persons"
copyright, 1911. by E. ]. Edwards. AL
Rights Reserved)