E. J. Eames (, Elizabeth Jessup;

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, 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 na ...

Stella and Mrs. E. J. Eames; June 26, 1813 – November 1856) was a 19th-century American writer of prose and poetry. She was a regular contributor to

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...

's ''New Yorker'' for some years before her marriage (under the signature of "Stella"); and thereafter, her writings frequently appeared in '' Graham's Magazine'', the ''

Southern Literary Messenger The ''Southern Literary Messenger'' was a periodical published in Richmond, Virginia, from August 1834 to June 1864, and from 1939 to 1945. Each issue carried a subtitle of "Devoted to Every Department of Literature and the Fine Arts" or some vari ...

'', and later still, in ''The Columbian''.

Early life

Elizabeth Jessup was born in

Schodack, New York Schodack is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 12,965 at the 2020 census. The town name is derived from the Mahican word, Escotak. The town is in the southwestern part of the county. Schodack is southeast of A ...

on June 26, 1813. Her father, Isaac Jessup (d. 1853, was a Deacon and served as County Treasurer of Will County, Illinois. Her siblings included brothers, and a sister, Sarah (d. 1863). Until age 17, Eames lived in a secluded village on the banks of the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

. She suffered from poor health.

Career

She began publishing in 1831, over the signature of "Stella". In 1834, she removed with her parents to Channahon, Will County, Illinois. For several years, she was a contributor to the ''New Yorker'', and later, frequently wrote for the '' New-York Tribune''. Greeley once made her an offer for the manuscript volume, which was declined. Elizabeth was Greeley's first love, but her father strongly opposed the match, insisting that his daughter should marry Walter S. Eames, a rich man, in preference to a poor printer. In February 1837, she married Walter S. Eames (1805-1851), an

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

farmer. They removed to

New Hartford, New York New Hartford is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Oneida County, New York, United States. As of the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census, the town population was 22,166. The name of New Hartford was provided by a settler fam ...

near Utica, where he was engaged in mercantile business. Their children were, William L. (1838–1868), Albertine (1840–1872), Fannie S. (b. 1842), and Charles E. (b. 1844). After her marriage, she signed her writings, "Mrs. E. J. Eames". Greeley retained a warm regard for Eames even after her marriage. Eames was the friend and contemporary of

Margaret Fuller Sarah Margaret Fuller (May 23, 1810 – July 19, 1850), sometimes referred to as Margaret Fuller Ossoli, was an American journalist, editor, critic, translator, and women's rights advocate associated with the American transcendentalism movemen ...

at the time when Fuller had charge of the literary department of the ''New-York Tribune''. Eames' poetry especially attracted the attention of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

, who also was struck with her beauty and charm. Eames' more carefully finished poems appeared in ''Graham's Magazine'' and the ''Southern Literary Messenger''. Many of her poems were published in a volume issued just before her death.

Later life

Mr. Eames drowned in the

in September 1851. Mrs. Eames died at of consumption in Channahon, Illinois, November 1856. Her papers passed into the possession of her children.

Critical reception

Rufus Wilmot Griswold Rufus Wilmot Griswold (February 13, 1815 – August 27, 1857) was an American anthologist, editor, poet, and critic. Born in Vermont, Griswold left home when he was 15 years old. He worked as a journalist, editor, and critic in Philadelphia, New Y ...

, in his ''Female Poets of America'', said of Eames:— "She writes with feeling, but she regards poetry as an art, and to the cultivation of it she brings her best powers. While thoughtful and earnest, therefore, her pieces are for the most part distinguished for a tasteful elegance." He selected for publication "The Crowning of Petrarch", "The Death of Pan", "Cleopatra", the "Sonnets" to Milton, Dryden, Addison, and Tasso, and a few other of her productions.

Selected works

* ''The Lost Shell Ballad''

Notes

References

Attribution

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eames, E. J. 1813 births 1856 deaths 19th-century American poets 19th-century American women writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis American women poets American lyricists Pseudonymous women writers Tuberculosis deaths in Illinois