The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-01-21
MRS. JULIA c. r. poRR
Vermont Poetess Who Died In Rut-
land on Saturday.


Mrs. Julia C. r. Dorr, the Vermont
poetess who died at her home in Rut-
land on Saturday. Jan. IS, was the
last member of the famous group of
New England writer's that included
Emerson, Holmes, Longfellow and
Lowell and that gave Boston the title
of Modern Athens" All these were
her intimates At the Longfellow
banquet In New York she was the on.
~ one present who knew him person
ally and at the 18th anniversary ban
Quet at Sherrys for William Dean
Howells she was guest of honor
After more than go years of work,
her first poem being published in
1S49, Mrs. DORIS mind was still ac-
tive and within a few days of her
death, when she was too weak to
hold a pen, one of her greatest re-
grets was that she was unable to
finish sonnet, nearly completed last
October, that is considered one OF her
finest efforts in the form of verse.
Mrs. Dorr was born February 10.
1925, in Charleston, s. c. the daugh-
ter of William Y. Ripley and Zulma De
Lacy Thomas. Her paternal ances-
try in the Ripley family is well
known. Her mother was the daugh-
ter of Jean Jacques Thomas and
Susanne DeLacy. both natives of
France, but for some time
residents of San Domingo,
where Mr.. Thomas was merchant,
planter and shipowner. During the
instruction of the slaves under Tous
saint POuverture he fed to Charles
ton with his family, where his daugh-
ter was born soon afterwards Mr.
Ripley was merchant in Charleston
and there met and married Mrs.
DORIS mother.
When Julia Caroline Ripley was
about Is months old her mothers
falling health made change OF eli
mate necessary and the family re-
turned to her fathers native town,
Weybridge, but the mother died the
day after reaching there Until she
was 10 years old Julia Caroline Rip
ley lived part of the time in New
York and part in Middlebury. When
she was II years old her father NOV
ed to Rutland. In lS47 she was mar
ried to Seneca NJ Dorr of Columbia
county, N. Y, later well-known
Vermont jurist, who died December
g. 1884
Judge and Mrs Dorr made their
home in Client, N Y, until 1857.
when they moved to Rutland and he
built THE Naples celebrated for its
rose gardens and its beautiful situa-
ton on the banks of Otter creek, com
handing a view of Mount Killington.
II was here that she did most of her
literary work.
Mrs. Dorr is survived by son, Rus
sell X. Dorr of st. Paul. Mimi, and a
daughter, Mrs. William II. Steele of
Brooklyn. n. Y, mother of Frederic
Door Steele, a well-known illustrator.
She also leaves brother, Gen. Ed
ward II. Ripley of New York, whose
summer home Is in Mendon, and
sister, Mrs. Charles f. Parker OF Yer
gennes. There are 10 grandchildren.
Mrs. Dorr began to write at the
age of II. She had written many
poems and other things. but none
was published until after her mar
riage, when her husband. in l849,
sent a poem to magazine This
was the first published.
Many of Mrs. Doors earlier poems
were published in a Complete Edi-
ton Later the volume "Afterglow
appeared and in 1909 there were
enough more for the collection BE
yond the Sunset"
Her published books include:
'Farmingdale." novel; "Sybil
Huntington" novel; Poems.
tlS7D; Expiration" a novel; Day
break an Easter poem; Bermuda"
Afternoon Songs; poems $4,000;
The Flower of England's Face; "A
Cathedral Pilgrimage; "In Kings
Houses"
The Dead Century" Vermont"
and Gettysburg are examples of her
heroic verse, the first being written
for the centennial celebration in Rut.
land. Her ballads include "The Ar
morer's Errand." 1.-The Parsons
Daughter" and "Rena". OF her son
nets AT Rest" Day and Night"
Mercedes. The Place" and "Recog-
milton are well known. Among the
most Iamlllar OF Mrs. DORIS minor
poems, not minor in quality but in
volume, are "0utgrown," which
Emerson placed in his "Parnassus,"
THE Old-Fashioned Garden" Some
where" 20 Wind That Blows Out of
the West" MY Lovers" and "rhe
Fallow Field"
Mrs. DORIS patriotic poems inspir.
ed by the civil war, include "The
Last of the Six" From Baton
Rouge" in the Wilderness" Sup
plicamus" and Our Flags at the
Capitol"
Mrs. Dorr had received the degree
of doctor of letters from Middlebury
College. She was a member of the
congregational church in this city,
and for 80 years was president of the
Fortnightly club. She was one OF
q founders of the Rutland Free
| brary association and was a mem.
Der of the Poetry Society of America.
Mrs. Dorr was represented in THE
Lyric Year." published In November.
1912, collection of 100 poems chos.
en- from 10000 representative of
present-day American poets.