Constance Piers (, Fairbanks; May 10, 1866 – 1939) was a Canadian journalist, poet, and editor.

Early life and education

Constance Fairbanks was born in

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Dartmouth ( ) (Scottish Gaelic, Scottish-Gaelic: Baile nan Loch) is a Urban area, built-up community of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has 101 ...

, May 10, 1866. She belonged to an old provincial family nearly all of whose representatives possessed more or less literary ability, and several of whom were long associated with the history of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. She was the second child and oldest daughter of Lewis Piers Fairbanks and Ella Augusta (DeWolfe) Fairbanks, granddaughter of

Charles Rufus Fairbanks Charles Rufus Fairbanks (March 25, 1790 – April 15, 1841) was a lawyer, judge, entrepreneur and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Halifax township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1826 to 1836. He was born in ...

, and was one of a family of nine children. Owing to delicate health when a child, Piers was able to attend school in Dartmouth only in an irregular manner, but, being precocious and fond of the company of those older than herself, she gained much knowledge outside of the school-room. At the age of thirteen years, she ceased to have systematic instruction, and with patient determination she proceeded to carry on her education by means of careful reading.

Career

Constance's father’s business reversals obliged her to work for a living, which was highly exceptional among daughters of the upper middle class. Finding it necessary to obtain employment, she became, in 1887, secretary to

Charles Frederick Fraser Sir Charles Frederick Fraser (born 4 January 1850 in Windsor, Nova Scotia – d. 5 July 1925 in Halifax, Nova Scotia) was the first superintendent (1873-1923) of the Halifax School for the Blind, the first residential school for the blind in A ...

, the blind editor of the Halifax ''Critic'', and in that position, gained a practical knowledge of the work which became her occupation. Gradually, as her ability to write became known, and as she developed a keen recognition of what was required by the public, Piers was placed in charge of various departments of the paper, until in June, 1890, the management of the editorial and certain other departments was virtually transferred to her. She took editorial charge of the Halifax ''Critic'', as assistant editor, 1890–92; and associate editor of the

St. Johnsbury, Vermont St. Johnsbury (known locally as "St. J") is the shire town (county seat) of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,364. St. Johnsbury is situated on the Passumpsic River and is located approximate ...

''Caledonian'', 1893-94. She was a writer of numerous articles in the ''Critic'', the ''Caledonian'', and others, and many poems, which appeared in the ''Week'' (

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

), ''Canadian Magazine'' (Toronto), and other journals, and some of which were contained in Dr. Theodore Harding Rand's ''A Treasury of Canadian Verse''. She contributed papers to the Halifax Ladies' Musical Club and various literary societies. She selected and edited, jointly with husband, the poems of

Mary Jane Katzmann Mary Jane Katzmann (also known as, Mrs. William Lawson; sobriquet, M. J. K. and later, M. J. K. L.; January 15, 1828 – March 23, 1890) was a Canadian writer, editor, historian, and poet. Publishing short poems from time to time, she went on to b ...

, published under the title of ''Frankincense and Myrrh: Selections From the Poems of the Late Mrs. William Lawson'' (Halifax), 1893.

Personal life

On January 7, 1901, in Halifax, she married

Harry Piers Harry Piers (1870–1940) was a Canadian historian. He was a long-serving and influential historian and curator at the Nova Scotia Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Piers was born on February 12, 1870, in Halifax. He became the second curator o ...

(curator of the Provincial Museum of Nova Scotia, and librarian of the Provincial Science Library). They had one son: Edward Stanyan Fairbanks Piers. Piers was interested in music, literature, and art. She favored woman suffrage, but not militant methods. She was a member of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

, and the Ladies' Musical Club (a society organized for the study of music and of the lives of composers and their works). Piers died in 1939.

References

Attribution

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Piers, Constance 1866 births 1939 deaths Canadian newspaper editors Canadian women non-fiction writers Canadian women poets Journalists from Nova Scotia People from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Canadian women newspaper editors 19th-century Canadian journalists 19th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian journalists 20th-century Canadian women writers 19th-century Canadian poets Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century 20th-century Canadian women journalists Poets from Halifax, Nova Scotia