Sarah Chauncy Woolsey
Sarah Chauncy Woolsey, also known by her pen name Susan Coolidge, was a notable American children's author born on January 29, 1835, in Cleveland, Ohio. She came from a respected family and received her education at a boarding school in New Hampshire. In her twenties, Woolsey moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where she lived during the Civil War, serving as a nurse and later as an assistant superintendent in a hospital. Following the war, she settled in Newport, Rhode Island, where she engaged with contemporary writers.
Woolsey began her writing career with poetry and published her first collection of short stories, *The New-Year's Bargain*, in 1871. However, she gained significant acclaim with the publication of *What Katy Did* in 1872, the first book in a loved series featuring a spirited young girl. The subsequent titles in the series followed, contributing to her reputation as a prominent children's author. In addition to her children's literature, Woolsey wrote numerous poems and articles for adult audiences. She continued to create literary works until her death on April 9, 1905, leaving behind a legacy as a cherished figure in children's literature.
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Subject Terms
Sarah Chauncy Woolsey
Author
- Born: January 29, 1835
- Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
- Died: April 9, 1905
- Place of death: Newport, Rhode Island
Biography
Children’s author Sarah Chauncy Woolsey was born to a well-respected family in Cleveland, Ohio, during the 1830’s. Woolsey attended a boarding school as a teenager in New Hampshire. When she was twenty years old, she relocated with her family from Cleveland to New Haven, Connecticut, where she lived for the next fifteen years.
When the Civil War broke out, Woolsey worked as a nurse in a hospital in New Haven. She then served as an assistant superintendent for the Lowell General Hospital in Rhode Island. After the war, Woolsey remained for a time in Rhode Island, residing in Newport. While living in Newport with her family, Woolsey made the acquaintance of several writers, including Thomas Wentworth Higginson.
By 1870, Woolsey had published a number of poems and had begun her first work, the short-story collection The New-Year’s Bargain. The book was published in 1871 to favorable reviews. In the wake of her father’s death, Woolsey traveled Europe with her family from 1870 to 1872. Returning to the United States, she traveled to California before settling into her family’s newly built home in Newport, where she lived for the remainder of her life.
In 1872, writing under the pseudonym Susan Coolidge, Woolsey published her most popular book, What Katy Did, which was the first in a series of five books featuring a mischievous young girl as the main character. The second book in the series was published a year later, but the third book, What Katy Did Next, was not published until several years later, in 1886. The last two books followed in quick succession.
Besides her Katy series, Woolsey wrote several other children’s stories. She also authored a number of poems, stories, and articles for adults that appeared in Outlook andScriber’s.