Harriet Farley
Harriet Farley was an American author and advocate for mill workers, born in Claremont, New Hampshire. After her education at an academy run by her clergyman father, she initially intended to become a teacher but found herself disliking the profession. In 1837, Farley relocated to Lowell, Massachusetts, where she worked in a textile mill to support her siblings' education. Her experiences in the mill led her to engage actively in communal activities, and she became a significant contributor to the Lowell Offering, a magazine aimed at empowering mill girls. Farley's writings provided moral support and inspiration to her fellow workers, and she later compiled some of her writings into her book, *Shells from the Strand of the Sea of Genius*. Although her attempt to revive the magazine as the New England Offering was not successful, she continued to write, eventually moving to New York City and publishing a collection of short stories. Farley married John I. Donlevy in 1854 and published two more books before her passing in 1907. Her legacy reflects the struggle and resilience of women in the industrial workforce during the 19th century.
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Harriet Farley
Writer
- Born: February 18, 1812
- Birthplace: Claremont, New Hampshire
- Died: November 12, 1907
- Place of death: New York
Biography
Harriet Farley was born in Claremont, New Hampshire. In 1819 she entered the academy in Atkinson, New Hampshire, headed by her father, a clergyman. There she was brought up and planned to become a teacher, though she also did odd jobs: binding shoes, tailoring, and weaving. Eager to get away from teaching, which she detested, Farley moved to Lowell in 1837 and found a job working at a textile mill, a job that she used to support the education of her siblings.
At the mill, Farley quickly became involved in the communal activities, and by 1840 she had published articles in the Lowell Offering, a magazine written by and for the mill girls. She would go on to contribute extensively to the magazine, which tried to lend moral support and inspirational motivation to the female workers of the mills. When the paper crumbled in 1845 amid criticism, Farley took some of what she had written and incorporated it into her first book, Shells from the Strand of the Sea of Genius, a series of homilies and moralistic parables. Her attempt to revive the magazine as the New England Offering proved largely unsuccessful, as it never reached the widespread circulation of its parent publication. Farley moved to New York City and authored a collection of short stories before marrying John I. Donlevy in 1854. She published two more books before her 1907 death in New York.