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Florence V. Brittingham (, Shearer; November 15, 1856 – April 26, 1891) was an American poet and short story writer. She met with some success in writing for various periodicals, though she was quite occupied with helping her husband in his pastoral work and the pressing duties of home life to focus on her literary efforts. ''Verse and Story'' (1892), published after her death, contained some of her poems and six short stories. At St. Luke's Episcopal Church,
Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio and Marshall County, West Virginia, Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The county seat of Ohio County, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mo ...
, she founded a Woman's Auxiliary organization, the first of its kind in the city.


Early life and education

Florence Virginia Shearer was born in Moorefield,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
(in an area that later became West Virginia) on November 15, 1856. Her parents were Philip G. and Susan M. Shearer. Brittingham was the eldest of five children. Her father, born in
Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...
, was of well-connected German and English ancestry. Her mother was born near Moorefield. Susan's maiden name was Harness, a family well known from the earliest settlement of the South-Branch Valley. There is little to record of Brittingham's childhood. In the fall of 1871, when nearly fourteen years of age, Brittingham was entered as a pupil in the Eclectic Institute,
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,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, where she remained for three years under the care and tuition of Letitia Tyler Semple, the principal. Here she remained three years, when, having finished the course with high honors, she returned to her valley home. While at school in Baltimore, Brittingham attended Emmanuel Church, under charge of Bishop Alfred Magill Randolph, of
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. She was presented by him for confirmation during her last year at school. In 1874, she returned to Moorefield, remaining until her marriage in 1882.


Career

On September 5, 1882, she wed the Rev. Jacob Brittingham, a
Presbyter Presbyter () is an honorific title for Christian clergy. The word derives from the Greek ''presbyteros'', which means elder or senior, although many in Christian antiquity understood ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning as overseer ...
of the Diocese of West Virginia, having charge of various churches and missions in the neighborhood of
Parkersburg, West Virginia Parkersburg is a city in Wood County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. Located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Little Kanawha River, Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's List of municipalities in West Virginia ...
. He was a resident of the home of Rev. George William Peterkin of that city, and here the couple lived for about a year. While in Parkersburg, she was a very active member of the congregation. In the Sunday School, the Industrial Mission School and the Mother's Mission, she found room for work. She added the work of a Bible class for young men which afterwards developed into a large class of both sexes—married or single. In addition to church work and Bible-teaching, she also instructed a class of young women in
English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...
and French. The dates of Brittingham poems show that her literary activity begun while living in the Peterkin house thought the Peterkins were not aware at the time that Brittingham was doing such work. Next, the Rev. Brittingham was transferred to
Clarksburg, West Virginia Clarksburg is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 16,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in West Virginia, tenth-most populous city ...
, having been placed in charge of Christ Church and they remained in Clarksburg for six years. In addition to the care of her home and infant son, she had charge of the church choir, for which she was organist, and conducted an afternoon Bible class every Sunday. She also worked in the mission school, and taught classes in French and literature. Naturally self-reliant, she had after graduation, preferred to make her own pocket and church money by teaching and other work. The experience she thus gained was invaluable to her in her married life, managing her household affairs with due regard to a limited salary paid her husband by the church in Clarksburg. Her literary work, which she quietly carried on during this period, was her avocation—her recreation. Some of her poems and short stories written at that time were published in different papers and periodicals, but the greater number were published by her husband, since her death, in the volume entitled ''Verse and Story'' (
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, 1892). In 1889, Rev. Brittingham moved to St. Luke's Church,
Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio and Marshall County, West Virginia, Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The county seat of Ohio County, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mo ...
. By her indefatigable industry, she made it possible to furnish for the most part the church's
rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...
, and to put it in comfortable condition. Her idea was to make it “parish-worthy” to use her own words. In St. Luke's parish, she organized a circle of
King's Daughters The King's Daughters ( , or in the spelling of the era) were the approximately 800 young French people, French women who immigrated to New France between 1663 and 1673 as part of a program sponsored by King Louis XIV. The program was designed ...
, and also had a Bible class for young women which met at the rectory every Saturday night. She organized a branch of the Woman's Auxiliary in Clarksburg, certainly among the first in the Dioceses. In St. Luke's, Wheeling, she effected such an organization, the first of its kind in the city.


Later life and death

When Brittingham became sick, it was thought that she might be entering upon an attack of the prevalent grippe. It turned out to be the beginning of the
typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...
, from which, after 39 days, she died, on April 26, 1891, at St. Luke's rectory, in Wheeling. Brittingham was survived by her husband and son. Her brother, Dr. Philip T. Shearer, who was Health Officer of the City of Wheeling, died of the same disease six weeks later.


Selected works

* ''Verse and Story'' (1892)


References


Attribution

* * *


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brittingham, Florence V. 1856 births 1891 deaths 19th-century American poets 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century American women writers American women poets American women short story writers People from Moorefield, West Virginia Writers from West Virginia American Anglicans Writers from Clarksburg, West Virginia Writers from Wheeling, West Virginia