Eliza Frances Andrews
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Eliza Frances Andrews (August 10, 1840 - January 21, 1931) was a popular American writer of the
Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...
. Her shorter works were published in popular magazines and papers, including the ''
New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 to 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers as a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publisher Jo ...
'' and ''
Godey's Lady's Book ''Godey's Lady's Book'', alternatively known as ''Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book'', was an American women's magazine that was published in Philadelphia from 1830 to 1896. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civi ...
''. Her longer works include '' The War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl'' (1908) and two
botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
textbooks. Andrews gained fame in the fields of literature, education, and science, and had success both as an essayist and a novelist. Financial difficulties led her to begin teaching after the deaths of her parents, though she continued to publish her writing. In her retirement, she published two textbooks on botany entitled ''Botany All the Year Round'' and ''Practical Botany'', the latter of which became popular in Europe and was translated for schools in France.


Biography


Early life

Eliza Frances "Fanny" Andrews was born on August 10, 1840, in
Washington, Georgia Washington is the county seat of Wilkes County, Georgia, United States. Under its original name, Heard's Fort, it was for a brief time during the American Revolutionary War the Georgia state capital. It is noteworthy as the place where the Co ...
, the second daughter of Annulet Ball and Garnett Andrews, a judge in Georgia's Superior Courts. Her father was a lawyer, judge, and plantation owner, possessing around two hundred
enslaved people Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
. Andrews grew up on the family estate, Haywood, the name of which she would later use in a
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
, "Elzey Hay". attended the local Ladies' Seminary school, and later graduated among the first class of students from LaGrange Female College in 1857. She was well-versed in literature, music, and the arts, and was conversant in both French and Latin. Upon graduating, Andrews returned home to live with her father. Around this time Southern states began to secede from the Union. Though her father was outspoken against secession, three of Andrews' brothers enlisted in the
Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...
. Andrews and her sisters also supported the
Confederacy A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
. During the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, Andrews and her sister were sent to live with their older sister in southwest Georgia. Andrews recorded both her journey and stay in a journal that was later published under the title ''Wartime Journal of a Georgia Girl: 1864-65''. Though not published until 1908, the diary effectively began her career as a writer. Later in 1865, at her father's suggestion, Andrews submitted "A Romance of Robbery," her first published piece, to the ''New York World''. It described the treatment of southerners by the
Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...
administrators who occupied the South after the end of the war. She wrote many articles for a variety of publications on topics such as women's fashion during the war, and a piece on
Catherine Littlefield Greene Catharine "Caty" Littlefield Greene (February 17, 1755 – September 2, 1814) was an American patriot who traveled to her husband, Continental Army General Nathanael Greene's, encampments during the American Revolutionary War. She entertained and ...
, a noted supporter of Eli Whitney's
cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); ...
.


Teaching career

Garnett Andrews died in 1873, leaving his family in a difficult financial position. The family sold the plantation and that required Fanny Andrews to seek paid work. She briefly edited the '' Washington Gazette'' but when the editor discovered she was a woman, she was fired. She then became principal at the Girl's High School in Yazoo, Mississippi, where she remained for seven years. She resigned the position in the early 1880s in order to recuperate from a serious illness. Andrews then returned to Washington to become the principal at her former seminary school. She received an honorary Master of Arts degree from
Wesleyan Female College Wesleyan Female College may refer to: * Cincinnati Wesleyan Female Seminary, Ohio * Ohio Wesleyan Female College, Delaware, Ohio * Wesleyan College, Macon, Georgia * Wesleyan Female College (Wilmington) Wesleyan Female College of Wilmington, Dela ...
in
Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...
in 1882. In 1885 she moved to Macon, where she worked as a professor of French and literature from 1886 to 1896. She also worked as a school librarian during this time period. She returned once again to Washington and devoted herself full-time to lecturing and writing.


Personal beliefs


Women in society

Andrews’ first novel, ''A Family Secret'' (1876), paints a vivid image of the role of women in the post war South. She remarks upon the misery inherent in marrying for money and writes at one point "Oh, the slavery it is to be a woman and not a fool." At the same time, she believed that the domestic wife and mother was the only acceptable role for women in Southern society, and she considered teaching "a mental tread-mill, a dull road traveled over and over requiring only patience." As she observed in the introduction to her ''Wartime Journal'' that “In the lifetime of a single generation the people of the South have been called upon to pass through changes that the rest of the world has taken centuries to accomplish”


Post civil-war

The influences of the
antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern US ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum architectu ...
and wartime South, which Andrews describes as a "unique society," are evident in her work throughout her life. Between the Confederate surrender in April 1865 and the end of the 1860s, Andrews wrote for several local and national magazines and newspapers, including the ''New York World'' and ''
Scott's Monthly ''Scott's Monthly'' was an American weekly magazine published from 1865 to 1869 in Atlanta, Georgia. Frank Luther Mott lists it as one of the most important magazines published in the South of its time. The magazine was founded by an Atlanta bookse ...
'', providing commentary on issues the South faced during the early years of
Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...
; she expressed concerns about
universal male suffrage Universal manhood suffrage is a form of voting rights in which all adult male citizens within a political system are allowed to vote, regardless of income, property, religion, race, or any other qualification. It is sometimes summarized by the sl ...
due to what she viewed as African Americans' ignorance of informed voting practices. Her views regarding black Americans reflect contemporary Southern fears of black enfranchisement. Andrew's essays and novels about women's roles provide strong, often conflicting opinions about ideal femeninity, reflecting the contrast in her commitments to both Southern idealism and her own professional independence. Her early works in the late 1860s argued against
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
, as women's position under the protection of men granted them social privileges, such as perceived superior moral integrity, that they would forfeit if given the right to vote. These ideas contrast with her stated belief that women have similar governing potential to men and were capable of advancing society through private, professional work as teachers, doctors, and merchants.


Politics and race

From 1899 to 1918, Andrews proclaimed herself a
socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
and wrote an article for the '' International Socialist Review'' concerning socialism; however, she supported strict
racial separation Racial segregation is the separation of people into racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospital ...
that mandated "the black man to improve himself without interfering in the white man's civilization." Her views were seen through her writings on the superiority of the white race over the black and boasts that the color line had been preserved in her home town with the help of the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
.


Botanist

While teaching at
Wesleyan Female College Wesleyan Female College may refer to: * Cincinnati Wesleyan Female Seminary, Ohio * Ohio Wesleyan Female College, Delaware, Ohio * Wesleyan College, Macon, Georgia * Wesleyan Female College (Wilmington) Wesleyan Female College of Wilmington, Dela ...
in
Macon, GA Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...
, Charlotte Ford cites Andrews as having her first formal contact with botany through working with the botany professor, Charles Townsend, although her interest may have sparked from her childhood days exploring the forest around Haywood. Andrews was an amateur botanist, collecting samples and conducting minor research whenever she could find the time. During her botanical career, Andrews became a strong proponent of
conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...
, using her published pieces to criticize turpentine distillers and developers for destroying woodlands. Her first textbook, ''Botany All the Year Round'' (1903) was aimed at a high school audience, particularly those in rural schools. It contained activities and labs aimed at attracting these schools to a low-budget scientific discipline that utilized the natural world around them, instead of pricey experimental materials. ''A Practical Course in Botany'', her second textbook, however, was aimed at a college and university audience and stressed the relationship between botany and more practical fields such as agriculture and economics. The book was internationally acclaimed and was translated for use in French schools. Andrews was also nominated to be a member of the Italian International Academy of Science, although she was unable to travel to
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
and accept the honor. Andrews wrote her last article, on the
white oak ''Quercus'' subgenus ''Quercus'' is one of the two subgenera into which the genus ''Quercus'' was divided in a 2017 classification (the other being subgenus ''Cerris''). It contains about 190 species divided among five sections. It may be calle ...
, in 1926. After her death, Andrews bequeathed the royalties from her books to the city of
Rome, Georgia Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia metropolitan area, Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statist ...
for a municipal forest reserve, although the city eventually turned the money back over to her estate due to a lack of funds, likely related to the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
. She also donated more than 3,000 plant specimens from her personal collection to the Alabama Department of Agriculture. Andrews died in Rome, GA on January 21, 1931, at the age of ninety. She is buried in the family plot in Resthaven Cemetery, in
Washington, GA Washington is the county seat of Wilkes County, Georgia, United States. Under its original name, Heard's Fort, it was for a brief time during the American Revolutionary War the Georgia state capital. It is noteworthy as the place where the Co ...
.


Gallery

File:Judge Garnett Andrews 1827.jpg, Eliza's father Judge Garnett Andrews 1827 File:Annulet Andrews 1827.jpg, Eliza's mother Annulet Andrews, 1827 File:Metta Andrews 1872.jpg, Eliza's younger sister Metta Andrews, 1872 File:Haywood House.jpg, Haywood Plantation, where Eliza was born


Bibliography

*'' The War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl, 1864-1865.'' *''Journal of a Georgia Women, 1870-1872''. *''A Family Secret'' (novel) *''Prince Hal: Or, The Romance of a Rich Young Man'' *''Botany All the Year Round'' *''A Practical Course in Botany''


References

*Ohles, John F. ''Biographical Dictionary of American Educators, Vol. 1''. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1978.


External links


The War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl, 1864-1865.
New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1908. *Tufts University, Boston, ''The War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl, 1864-1865.'
perseus.tufts.edu
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Eliza Frances 19th-century American novelists American women novelists Educators from Mississippi American women botanists American botanical writers Novelists from Georgia (U.S. state) 1840 births 1931 deaths 19th-century American women scientists 19th-century American botanists American women essayists American women science writers 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American essayists Ohio Wesleyan University faculty American anti-suffragists