Anna Robeson Brown Burr (May 26, 1873 – September 10, 1941) was an American writer of novels, poetry, stories, essays, and biographies. Her ''The Autobiography: A Critical and Comparative Study'' (1909), was the first book on the subject.

Early life

Anna Robeson Brown was born in 1873, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, the daughter of

Henry Armitt Brown Henry Armitt Brown (December 1, 1844 – August 21, 1878) was an American author and orator. Life Brown was born in Philadelphia, December 1, 1844, the second son of Frederick and Charlotte A. (Hoppin) Brown. Brown is a lineal descendant of Wil ...

and Josephine Lea Baker Brown Leaming. Her father was a lawyer, writer, and orator, who died when Anna was a small child.

Charles Brockden Brown Charles Brockden Brown (January 17, 1771 – February 22, 1810) was an American novelist, historian, and editor of the Early National period. He is generally regarded by scholars as the most important American novelist before James Fenimore C ...

was her great-granduncle.

Career

Her novels include: ''Alain of Halfdene'' (1895); ''The Black Lamb'' (1896); ''A Cosmopolitan Comedy'' (1899); ''The House of Pan: A Romance'' (1899); ''The Immortal Garland'' (1900); ''The Millionaire's Son'' (1903); ''Truth and a Woman'' (1903); ''The Wine Press'' (1905); ''The Jessop Bequest'' (1907); ''The House on Charles Street'' (1921); ''The Wrong Move: A Romance'' (1923); ''The Great House in the Park'' (1924); ''Palludia'' (1928); ''Wind in the East'' (1933); and ''The Golden Quicksand: A Novel of Santa Fé'' (1936). She also wrote non-fiction books, among them, ''The Autobiography: A Critical and Comparative Study'' (1909), "the first book on the subject"; ''Religious Confessions and Confessants'' (1914); ''The Portrait of a Banker: James Stillman, 1850-1918'' (1927); and ''Weir Mitchell: His Life and Letters'' (1929). Brown also wrote for periodicals including ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In ...

'', '' Godey's Magazine'', '' Lippincott's Magazine'', and ''

St. Nicholas Magazine ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' was a popular monthly American children's magazine, founded by Scribner's in 1873. The first editor was Mary Mapes Dodge, who continued her association with the magazine until her death in 1905. Dodge published work by th ...

''.

Personal life

Anna Robeson Brown married lawyer Charles Henry Burr Jr. in 1899. They had two daughters, the elder being archaeologist

Dorothy Burr Thompson Dorothy Burr Thompson (August 19, 1900 – May 10, 2001) was an American classical archaeologist and art historian at Bryn Mawr College and a leading authority on Hellenistic terracotta figurines. Biography Thompson was the elder of two d ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Anna moved herself and her daughters to London to be closer to Charles who was doing work there. Charles Henry Burr Jr. died in 1925. Anna Robeson Brown Burr died in 1941, aged 68 years, from pneumonia."Writer Dies"
''Gettysburg Times'' (September 11, 1941): 11. via Newspapers.com She is interred at

West Laurel Hill Cemetery West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is 200 acres in size and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in neighboring Ph ...

in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Anna Robeson 1873 births 1941 deaths American women writers Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery Writers from Philadelphia