New-York tribune., 1919-03-12
Mrs. Amelia E.. Barr.
Authoress, Is Dead
AfterLongg Illness
Wrote More Than Sixty Pop
ular Novels; Heat Stroke
Cause of Demise; Born in
England; Here Since 1869

Richmond Hill, l.. L., late Monday
night. Mrs. Barr, who lacked only
few days of being eighty-eight years
old, suffered from a heat stroke last
July and never recovered from It's cf-
fects.
'rs. Edward Munro, her daughter,
was at Mrs. Barrs bedside when the
end came. A younger daughter, Miss
Alice Barr, arrived soon afterwards.
Mrs. Barr's other daughter, the wife
of Kirk Munroe, the author, was with
her husband in Florida, but is on her
way to this city.
The funeral service will be held at
10 a. m. tomorrow from the residence
at Richmond Hill. Burial will be in
the plot Of the late Louis Klotsch, in
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, near Tarry-
town. The burial arrangement is in
accordance with an agreement made by
Mr. Klotsch and Mrs. Barr, when the
former was editor of "The Christian
Herald" and the latter a contributor to
that publication.
Wrote Threescore Novels
There were no doubt greater writer's
in her day and generation that Mrs.
Barr There were few more popularity
beloved. There were few who put forth
so many works of fiction, of all Of
which it could truly be said that there
was not q word which would better
have been left unwritten. Her more
than threescore novels gave pleasure
some of them also valuable historical
instruction millions on both sides
of the Atlantic, and caused both her
native land and her adopted country to
feel a just pride in her achievements.
Amelia Edith Huddleston was born
at INVERSION, in Lancashire, near the
backbone of England" on March 20,
1881, the daughter of the Rev. William
Huddleston, and was finely educated at
the High School and Ladies College of
Glasgow. She was noted as an excel
of nature. At the age of nineteen she
was married to Robert Barr. the son of
minister of the Scottish Church, and
with him she came four years later,
to the United States. For several years
they lived in Austin, Tex, where Mr..
Barr held an Office under the state
government. Al the outbreak of the
Civil War they removed to Galveston,
and there, in 1867, Mr. Barr and their
fever, leaving Mrs. Barr to shift for
herself and for her three little daugh-
ters.
Came to New York in 1869
Wisely deciding, she came to New
York with her children in 1859, and for
two years maintained herself by teach
ing. She then turned her attention to
writing for the press. In Galveston
she had met Henry Ward Beecher, and
on essaying authorship she applied to
him for advice and aid. He gave her
work on "The Christian Union," for
which she wrote articles, paragraphs,
everything that was needed for its col
umns. Mr.. Beecher also gave her q
note of introductlon to Robert Bon
ner, of "The Ledger" and thus opened
lhe way tor her great success. She
hrst WroCe short stories for "The Led
ger, and these became so popular that
she was encouraged to try her hand at
tuli length novels. Her first was "Ro-
nance and Reality" in 1872, and de-
spite ITS old-fashioned name, reminis-
cent OF Jane Aus,en, it was sufficient
~ successful TO warrant her in con
tihulng her efforts in that direction.
Vnough she also continued to write
snort stories and poems. Her first
hlghly successful work was "Jan We'd
ders Wife, which appeared in 1885
and attained enormous popularity.
wh'ch' indeed, it has never lost Feet
OF Clay" Remember the Alamo" "A
bow OF Orange Ribbon" and more
than sixty others followed. 1t is
automatically stated that she never
wrote story, long or short, which
She was unable promptly to sell, and
'n@1 mus she never had collection
OF rejected or unsold manuscripts.
Had 10 Make Changes
Nov and then, however, she had 10
modify her writings to suit the do
n'"nda or her publishers. Once she
TOOK To Mr.. Bonner story in which
e"e had made two cousins marry "You
must chnngo this" said VIZ Nonncr II
t""'o, "NVe cousins m but
they do, IN real life" a "Yes"
was his rejoinder "h in tba
coiumna of Tho Lclun. I,,io aEs
SeNt him poem -ahe wrote much
poetry about maiden and a bluobird
mere IA too much bluebird in it," said
mr. M honner to Mrs. Barr's daughter
wen, tawe the bird outl" was the re.
ply; but he tnally decided TO leave II
in. 'e"'' u
Mrs. Barr had comprehensive md
HSmpathetc knowledge of Texas in
carry times, which she used to good Of
~ !" SotHo OF her stories, PARTON
Iarly IN Remember the Alamol" She
was also painstaking student of tho
history OF New York in Coloninl and
NeVolutlonary times, and the know
!edge thus acquired showed itself in
"A BOW OF Orange Ribbon and other
WORKS. which were, in fact, though
"iOhout .pretence, historical novels
"itn singularly correct atmosphere
ana scenic setting. For more than
thirty years she lived at Cherry Croft
beautiful place on Cornwall Heights,
overlooking the Hudson, and there the
majority of her works were written. In
the spring of 1914, however, she left
1t tor home in Richmond Hill in
ORDER to be nearer her children. Her
physical and mental health remained
ROBUST throughout her long life. and
she was able to complete her sixty
sixth novel at the age Of more than
elghty-four years.
Began to Write at Six
The first time l tried my hand at
lterature,' she once said, was when I
was six years old. l amused myself bv
putting one Of the Psalms into verse.
he reward for my first literary vent
ure was sound whipping. That kept
me quiet until WAS twelve. At that
age perpetrated q crude and tureid
tragedy on the life of Seneca 1t is the
only tragedy | have ever written.
nave lived all my tragedies since then.
In my books | have put all the happi
ness that | could imagine. 1t is com
mOnlV said tbat rthor ~.