Annie McCarer Darlington (, Biles; after marriage, Mrs. F. J. Darlington;

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

, Gertrude St. Orme; July 20, 1836 – January 24, 1907) was an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

. She was a frequest contributor to

Cecil County, Maryland Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The ...

periodicals. Darlington died in 1907.

Biography

Anna (

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

, "Annie") McCarer Biles was born July 20, 1836, at Willow Grove, Cecil County, Maryland, about east of the village of Calvert formerly Brick Meeting House, and near the old Blue Ball Tavern. Her parents were Charles Biles and Catharine Ross Biles. Annie was a first cousin of Ida McCormick, their mothers being sisters. On November 20, 1860, she married Francis James Darlington (1840–1897), of

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,671 at the 2020 census. West ...

, and spent the next five years on a farm near

Unionville, Chester County, Pennsylvania Unionville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in East Marlborough Township in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was originally known as Jacksonville. The Unionville Village Historic District was ...

. The family then took up their residence near Westtown Friends' Boarding School, where they spent the summer season. During the winter, they resided in the town of

Melrose, Florida Melrose is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Alachua County, Florida, Alachua, Bradford County, Florida, Bradford, Clay County, Florida, Clay, and Putnam County, Florida, Putnam counties in the U.S. state of Florida. It lies on ...

on the banks of Lake Santa Fe. Darlington began to write poetry when about eighteen years of age, and was a frequent contributor to ''The Cecil Democrat'' and the ''

Cecil Whig The ''Cecil Whig'' (the ''Whig'') is a local newspaper that covers Cecil County, Maryland daily online and publishes two days a week. The ''Cecil Whig'' is one of the country's oldest newspapers. It is the oldest newspaper on Maryland's Easter ...

'', under the ''nom de plume'' of "Gertrude St. Orme". Anna McCarer Darlington died January 24, 1907, and was buried in West Chester.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darlington, Annie McCarer 1836 births 1907 deaths 19th-century American poets People from Cecil County, Maryland 19th-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers 19th-century American women writers American women poets