Julia Catherine Hart
Julia Catherine Hart, originally named Julia Beckwith, was a pioneering Canadian author born in the late 18th century to a French mother and a Loyalist father. She is notable for being the first native-born author to publish a novel in Canada, with her work titled *Saint Ursula's Convent: Or, The Nun of Canada, Containing Scenes of Real Life*, released in 1824 when she was just seventeen years old. The novel garnered significant interest, with 175 of the 200 copies pre-sold prior to publication. Following the death of her father, Hart relocated to Kingston, Canada, where she opened a school for young women and married George Henry Hart, an English bookbinder, in 1822. The couple later moved to Rochester, New York, where she published a second novel, *Tonnewonte: Or, The Adopted Son of America*, in 1825. Despite her contributions, Hart's authorship of *Saint Ursula's Convent* went unrecognized until 1890, long after her passing. Her legacy reflects the early literary landscape of Canada and the challenges faced by women writers of her time.
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Julia Catherine Hart
Writer
- Born: March 10, 1796
- Birthplace: Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
- Died: November 28, 1867
- Place of death: New Brunswick, Canada
Biography
Julia Catherine Hart was born Julia Beckwith in Canada to a French mother and Loyalist father near the end of the eighteenth century. She was the first native-born author to have a novel published in Canada. She penned Saint Ursula’s Convent: Or, The Nun of Canada, Containing Scenes of Real Life when she was only seventeen years old, and the romance saw publication in 1824, ten years after its author began work on it. She had finally presented the manuscript to Hugh Christopher Thomson, publisher of Upper Canada Herald, and Thomson had begun working toward its publication and selling subscriptions in 1823. When the novel was published the next year, 175 of the 200 published copies had already been purchased in advance.
Hart, who had moved to Kingston, Canada, after the death of her father, opened a school for young women and married George Henry Hart, an English bookbinder, in 1822. After the couple moved to Rochester, New York, Hart published a second novel, Tonnewonte: Or, The Adopted Son of America, in 1825. Six years later, the Harts returned to Fredericton, where Hart remained until her death. Saint Ursula’s Convent was first published anonymously, and Hart was not credited with its authorship until 1890, more than twenty years after her death.