Clara Doty Bates
Clara Doty Bates (, Doty; December 22, 1838 – October 14, 1895) was a 19th-century American author who published a number of volumes of poetry and juvenile literature. Many of these works were illustrated, the designs being furnished by her sister. Her work was published in "St. Nicholas Magazine", "The Youth's Companion", "Golden Days for Boys and Girls", "Wide Awake", "Godey's Lady's Book", and "Peterson's Magazine". During the World's Columbian Exposition, she had charge of the Children's Building. Bates died in 1895. Early life and education. Clara Doty was born in Ann  Arbor, Michigan, December 22, 1838. She was the second daughter of Samuel Rosecrans Doty and Hannah Lawrence, who were among the pioneers of Michigan. Bates was of Dutch and English ancestry. Her great-grandfather, a Rosecrans, was ninety years old when he died, and the legend goes that at the time of his death "his hair was as black as a raven's wing." Another ancestor was with George Washington at Valley Forge. She was also a descendant of Ethan Allen. On the mother's side were the Lawrences, and Hannah Lawrence, the great-grandmother, was remembered for her gift  of story-telling. Her siblings included a brother, Duane, and a sister, Helen Ann. The homestead in Ann Arbor, "Heart's Content," was well known for its books and pictures. Bates had a rhyming talent from her earliest days. She wrote verses when she could only print in big letters. Her first poem was published when she was nine years old. The location of the State University in Ann Arbor gave better facilities for education than were offered in the usual western village. It was before the admission of women to equal opportunities with men, but it was possible to  secure private instruction in advanced studies. This the Doty daughters had in addition to private schools, while the son attended the university. Career. The majority of Bates' published work was fugitive, although she wrote several books, chiefly for children. Among these were "Æsop's Tables Versified", "Child Lore", "Classics of Babyland", "Heart's Content", and several minor books, all published in Boston. Her work was not wholly confined to writing for children: occasionally she contributed to periodicals. But it was as a writer of stories and sketches to please children that Bates was best known. She was a frequent contributor  to "St. Nicholas", "The Youth's Companion", and "Golden Days", and a regular contributor to "Wide Awake". Her literary ability was first recognized by Charles G. Leland while he was editor of "Graham's Magazine". Her efforts frequently appeared in the pages of "Godey's Lady's Book" and "Peterson's Magazine". The first book published by Bates was a work for children, "Blind Jakey". It was a Sunday school book and had a wide sale. "Aesop's Fables in Verse" was her most successful work. "Heart's Content", another of her books, was so called in honor of her  childhood home in Ann Arbor, the name of which was "Heart's Content". Her last published volume was a collection of verse, "From Heart's Content". Two years previous to the opening of the World's Columbian Exposition, Bates worked to gather together a model children's library and succeeded in doing far more than she expected. She installed the library herself, and at her solicitationm nearly every publishing house in the world contributed to it. Personal life. On September 2, 1869, she married Morgan Bates, a newspaper man and the author of several plays. They made their home in  Chicago, Illinois. They had no children. She was a member of the Fortnightly literary club, and served on the literary committee of the Woman's Branch of the World's Congress Auxiliary. Her manuscripts and notes were destroyed by the burning of her father's house. Among them were a finished story, a half-completed novel and some other work. After suffering severe physical pain for five years, Bates died on October 14, 1895 at the Newberry apartments in Chicago. She was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, in Ann Arbor. Style and themes. Prior to 1860, "Graham's Magazine" was  considered one of the best literary magazines of the United States, and one of its most valued contributors was Bates, then Miss Clara Doty. The following comments and quotations are from that magazine in 1858:—