Emily Elizabeth Shaw Beavan (c. 1818-6 August 1897), was an Irish born 19th-century poet and story writer who lived in Canada, England and Australia.

Early life and education

Born Emily Elizabeth Shaw in about 1818 in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, Ireland, she was the daughter of Samuel Shaw, a Master Mariner, and Isabella Adelaide McMorran. Her father sailed between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and Ireland regularly. She emigrated with her family, including at least two sisters and two brothers, to

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

in 1836. She continued her education there and gained her teacher's licence in King's County on 18 September 1837. She was teaching in Norton at the time. She married Frederick Williams Cadwalleder Beavan on 19 June 1838 in Sussex Vale, Kings County,. Her husband was the local surgeon and teacher and they lived initially in Long Creek, New Brunswick. Later they moved to Mount Auburn, English Settlement. There Beavan contributed stories and poems to the newly established paper, ''Amaranth''. While she didn't use a pen name, she wrote under the common practice of dashing out letters from the name, ''Mrs B----n'' or ''Emily B----n''. In 1842 Beavan requested a teacher's licence for Queens County. However, in 1843 the family migrated to England where her husband's father had died allowing her husband to take up his position as surgeon at the Derwent Mines in

Blanchland Blanchland is a village in Northumberland, England, on the County Durham boundary. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 135. Set beside the river in a wooded section of the Derwent valley, Blanchland is an attractive smal ...

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

. Her first book, ''Sketches and tales illustrative of life in the backwoods of New Brunswick, North America'', was published while she was living in England in 1845. They did not remain long in England, in 1852 the family moved again to live in Kilmore,

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. There Beavan wrote for Eliza Cook's ''Journal'' and various local newspapers. Her husband died in 1867 and Beavan moved to live with her son in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in 1881 where she died on 6 August 1897. While she was buried in an unmarked grave at

Rookwood Cemetery Rookwood Cemetery (officially named Rookwood Necropolis) is a heritage-listed cemetery in Rookwood, Sydney, Australia. It is the largest necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere and is the world's largest remaining operating cemetery from the ...

, memorial was put on her husband's grave in Kilmore General Cemetery.

Bibliography

* Sketches and tales illustrative of life in the backwoods of New Brunswick, North America, 1845

Poems

* Song Of The Irish Mourner * The Mother's Prayer * On Prayer * The Mignonette * A Vision

Short stories

* The Lost One * Adelaide Belmore * Recollections of Tombe St * Edith Melborne * A Tale of New Brunswick * Madeline St. Clair * Story of Deara, Princess Meath * A Tale of Intemperance * The Enthusiast * Lines (The Lost Children)

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaven, Emily Elizabeth Shaw 1810s births 1897 deaths 19th-century Irish women writers 19th-century Canadian women writers 19th-century Irish poets 19th-century Canadian poets Poets from New Brunswick Canadian women poets