caption pseudonym nationality period genre image article_title name occupation
` and wife elswyth thane -lrb- far right -rrb- with friends will at home near wilmington , vermont in 1957 ' beebe -lrb- 2nd from left -rrb- elswyth thane america 1926-1976 historical fiction , romance dr. beebe in vermont.jpg elswyth thane
 helen elswyth thane ricker beebe novelist , journalist , screenwriter
elswyth thane

helen elswyth thane ricker beebe -lrb- may 16 , 1900 -- july 31 , 1984 -rrb- was an american romance novelist .
born in burlington , iowa , she was the daughter of a local teacher and high school principal . ''
the family moved to new york city in 1918 , and `` helen ricker '' changed her name to `` elswyth thane '' .
she began working as a freelance writer in the 20s , and became a newspaper writer and a hollywood screenwriter .
her first novel , `` riders of the wind '' , was published in 1926 .
her novel , `` the tudor wench '' , about elizabeth i of england , was made into a play .
she was a collector of scarves .
on september 22 , 1927 , at 27 years old she married 50-year-old naturalist and explorer william beebe ; it was his second marriage .
mrs. theodore roosevelt was one of the guests at the wedding .
beebe died in 1962 , leaving only half of his estate to his widow .
she lived on the couple 's farm in wilmington , vermont .
her last work , '' '' , was published in 1972 .
when she died , she left her papers to the university of iowa .
thane is most famous for her `` williamsburg '' series of historical fiction .
the books cover several generations of two families from the american revolutionary war up to world war ii .
in later books , the action moves from williamsburg to new york city , richmond , virginia and england .
the novels are , in chronological order : `` dawn 's early light '' -lrb- 1943 -rrb- `` yankee stranger '' -lrb- 1944 -rrb- `` ever after '' -lrb- 1945 -rrb- `` the light heart '' -lrb- 1947 -rrb- `` kissing kin '' -lrb- 1948 -rrb- `` this was tomorrow '' -lrb- 1951 -rrb- `` homing '' -lrb- 1957 -rrb-
