Mary T. Waggaman Explained

Mary T. Waggaman
Birth Name:Mary Theresa McKee
Birth Date:21 September 1846
Children:11
Occupation:Author
Period:Late 19th and early 20th centuries

Mary Theresa McKee Waggaman, was an American author of Catholic literature in the early 20th century who was primarily known for writing short stories for children.

Biography

Waggaman was born on September 21, 1846, to John and Ester (Cottrell) McKee.[1] She was from Baltimore and attended Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville, Maryland.[2] [3] Her mother died when she was young, and she moved with her father to New York during the American Civil War. Her father was arrested because of his support for the American South, and Waggaman would write "An American Bastile" about her experiences during the Civil War that was published in Ave Maria.[4] [5] After the Civil War she returned to Mount de Sales Academy and was valedictorian of her class in 1864.

As early as 1871 Waggaman was a published writer, starting with a poem in the January 1972 issue of Harper's Magazine.[6] [7] Waggaman's first short story was "Little Comrades" which she wrote to impress upon her first son the importance of his First Communion.[8] While Waggaman initially did not share that she received funds for her writing, she eventually described how she was able to earn enough money from her writing to hire a nurse and servants who enabled her to write each day.

Waggaman is known for her writings for children and her writing for Catholic periodicals.[9] She published under different names, using "Fannie Fairie" for serials and "Queerquill" for poems.

Selected publications

Awards and honors

In 1923 Waggaman won first prize for a story she submitted to the Columbian magazine published by the Knights of Columbus.[15] There were 3,000 authors competing for this honor.

Personal life

Waggaman married Samuel J. Waggaman in 1870. Together they had eleven children, six of whom were alive upon her death in 1931.[16] One daughter, also named Mary T. Waggaman, achieved recognition as a poet.[17] In 1942, her daughter Ester W. Neill, who was also a writer, wrote about her mother in The Book Of Catholic Authors First Series.[5]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: American Council of Learned Societies . Dictionary of American biography . 1943 . New York, C. Scribner's Sons . University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
  2. News: 1931-08-01 . Obituary for MARY T. WAGGAMAN . 5 . Evening Star . 2022-09-05.
  3. Book: Immortelles of Catholic Columbian Literature: Compiled from the Work of American Catholic Women Writers . 1897 . D. H. McBride . en.
  4. Book: Waggaman, Mary T. . An American Bastile . Ave Maria . May 28, 1932.
  5. Book: Neill, Ester W. . The Book Of Catholic Authors First Series . 1942 . Romig . Walter . Mary Theresa Waggaman (1846-1931).
  6. News: 1871-12-25 . Review of new periodicals . 7 . The Philadelphia Inquirer . 2022-09-26.
  7. Web site: January 1872 . Harper's Magazine . 2022-09-26 . harpers.org . en.
  8. News: Gordon . Mary . 1929-03-02 . Women in the news . 15 . The Tablet . 2022-09-25.
  9. News: 1931-07-31 . Woman Novelist Dies in 85th Year . 9 . Evening Star . 2022-09-05.
  10. Review
  11. News: 1915-05-01 . Clipped From The Catholic Bulletin . 5 . The Catholic Bulletin . 2022-09-26.
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. News: 1917-07-06 . Book Notes . 4 . The Tidings . 2022-09-26.
  15. News: 1923-10-05 . Woman, 77, wins story writing prize . 47 . St. Louis Post-Dispatch . 2022-09-05.
  16. News: 1931-08-01 . Mrs. Mary Waggaman, author, dies at 85 . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-09-05 . 0362-4331.
  17. Book: The Catholic World 1896-10: Vol 64 Iss 379 . 1896 . American Periodicals Series III . . English.

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