Helen Stevens Conant (October 9, 1839 – April 17, 1899) was an American author, poet, and translator.

Personal life

Helen Charlotte Peters Stevens was born to Abiel Stevens and Charlotte Stevens (née Peters) on October 9, 1839, in

Methuen, Massachusetts Methuen () is a 23-square-mile (60 km2) city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 53,059 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Methuen lies along the northwestern edge of Essex County, just east of Midd ...

. Her ancestors, John Stevens and Andrew Peters immigrated to

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was Settler, settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''Encyclopedia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed. ...

, from England in the mid-17th century. As a child, she was taught by a governess and private tutors. Stevens married journalist and editor Samuel Stillman Conant, son of professor and writer

Thomas Jefferson Conant Thomas Jefferson Conant (December 13, 1802 – April 30, 1891) was an American Biblical scholar. Biography Thomas Jefferson Conant was born in Brandon, Vermont on December 13, 1802. Graduating from Middlebury College in 1823, he became tutor in ...

and editor and author Hannah O'Brien Chaplin Conant. Stevens and Conant married on June 10, 1858, in

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen, Massachusetts, Methuen ...

. The couple had one child together, a son named Thomas Peters Conant, on July 11, 1860, in

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The family later moved to

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. Conant died on April 17, 1899.

Literary works

Books

Conant is best known for writing ''The Butterfly Hunters'', published in 1868 by

Ticknor and Fields Ticknor and Fields was an American publishing company based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as a bookstore in 1832, the business published many 19th-century American authors, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, Henr ...

. She is also known for ''A Primer of German Literature'' (1877) and ''A Primer of Spanish Literature'' (1878), both published by

Harper & Brothers Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship Imprint (trade name), imprint of global publisher HarperCollins, based in New York City. Founded in New York in 1817 by James Harper (publisher), James Harper and his brother John, the compan ...

. Conant co-translated ''The Ancient Cities of the New World'' (1887) by

Désiré Charnay Claude-Joseph Désiré Charnay (2 May 182824 October 1915) was a French traveller and archaeologist notable both for his explorations of Mexico and Central America, and for the pioneering use of photography to document his discoveries. Biograph ...

from French with J. Gonino.

Articles

Many of Conant's articles were published in various Harper & Brother publications, including

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

and

Harper's Weekly ''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper (publisher), Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many su ...

, for which her husband was managing editor from 1869 until his disappearance in 1885. * Birds and plumage * Kitchen and dining-room * Joseph Mallord William Turner * A ramble in Central Park * Picturesque Edinburgh

Poetry

* From the Spanish of Calderon * Old German love song (thirteenth century) * At Manhattan Beach * Love's Doubt * "Le Pere Jacques" * Watch-words Conant contributed many of her poems to various Harper & Brother publications, including Harper's Bazar, for which she was an editor.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conant, Helen S. 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American poets People from Methuen, Massachusetts 1839 births American people of English descent 1899 deaths French–English translators 19th-century American translators Helen