Susan Anne Ridley Sedgwick
American writer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Susan Anne Ridley Sedgwick (1788–1867) was a 19th-century American writer specializing in children's novels. She also painted a watercolor-on-ivory portrait of an ex-slave who came to work for her family.
Susan Anne Ridley Sedgwick | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 May 1788 Stockbridge, MA |
| Died | 20 January 1867 (aged 78) Stockbridge, MA |
Resting place | The Sedgwick Pie |
| Occupation | Author |
| Known for | Children's novels |
Sedgwick was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, daughter of Matthew Ridley (1746–1789) and Catherine Livingston (1751–1813), his second wife.[1] Sedgwick's mother, Catherine Livingston, was the daughter of William Livingston, governor of New Jersey.[1] She married Theodore Sedgwick Jr., (1780–1839).[2] Her husband's father, Theodore Sedgwick (1746–1813), was a delegate to Continental Congress, a United States Representative, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, a United States Senator from Massachusetts, and a state supreme court judge.[3] As a lawyer, Sedgwick, Sr. represented Elizabeth ("Mumbet") Freeman, who had been a slave for forty years,[4] and won her freedom. Mumbet came to live as a servant in the Sedgwick household, and Susan Sedgwick painted her portrait (watercolor on ivory).[5]
Sedgwick's sister-in-law was Catharine Sedgwick (1789–1867), also a novelist. Before she married Catharine's brother, Susan was Catharine's schoolmate.[6]
Sedgwick was one of the 139 people buried in the large circular family burial plot in Stockbridge, Massachusetts known as the Sedgwick Pie.
Works
- Sedgwick, Susan Anne Livingston Ridley (1829). The Morals of Pleasure. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea, & Carey. ISBN 9781446032749.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - Sedgwick, Susan Anne Livingston Ridley (1830). The Children's Week. Boston: Carter and Hendee.
- Sedgwick, Susan Anne Livingston Ridley (1830). The Young Emigrants: A Tale Designed for Young Persons. Boston: Carter and Hendee.
- Sedgwick, Susan Anne Livingston Ridley (1834). Allen Prescott; or, The Fortunes of a New England Boy. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers.
- Sedgwick, Susan Anne Livingston Ridley (1859). Walter Thornley, or A Peep at the Past. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers.