Mary Elizabeth Latimer (née Wormeley; July 26, 1822 – January 4, 1904) was an
English-American writer, both of original works and translations.
Early life
Mary Elizabeth Wormeley was born on July 26, 1822, in
London, the daughter of Admiral Ralph Randolph Wormeley[1] (1785–1852) and Caroline (
née Preble) Wormeley (1799–1872). Her father, a native of
Virginia, was an Admiral of the
British navy,[2] and preceding his death, resided in
Boston, Massachusetts. Among her siblings was Ariana Randolph Wormeley, who married the American lawyer and banker
Daniel Sargent Curtis, and the nurse and author
Katherine Prescott Wormeley.
Her sisters were
Katharine Prescott Wormeley, the translator, and Ariana Randolph Wormeley Curtis (1834–1922), a writer who published the comedy entitled The Coming Woman, or the Spirit of '76 in 1870, which has been acted in public and private both in the United States and in Europe.[4] Ariana was married to prominent banker and patron of the arts,
Daniel Sargent Curtis (1825–1908).[5]
Education and career
She was educated by tutors and at a school in
Ipswich, Massachusetts. Early travels also helped educate her.[6] She spent the winter of 1842 in
Boston as the guest of the family of
George Ticknor, and in that environment received much encouragement of her interest in literature.[3]
The daughter resided several years in
Newport, Rhode Island, and in 1856,[3] after gaining a reputation as a writer. After spending several years raising her children, she began writing again in 1876.[6]
Personal life
Around 1856, she married Randolph Brandt Latimer (1821–1903) of
Baltimore.[4] From 1856 to 1876, she devoted herself to raising a family, including:[2]
^
abcFrances E. Willard; Mary A. R. Livermore, eds. (1897).
"Latimer, Elizabeth Wormeley". American Women. Vol. 2. New York, Chicago, Ohio: Mast, Crowell & Kirkpatrick. p. 451.