Lelia P. Roby (, Foster;

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume 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 name may be used to make the author's na ...

, Miles Standish; December 25, 1848 – September 18, 1910) was an American philanthropist of the

long nineteenth century The long nineteenth century is a term for the 125-year period beginning with the onset of the French Revolution in 1789, and ending with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It was coined by Soviet writer Ilya Ehrenburg and later popularized ...

. She was the founder of the

Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

. Thoroughly educated, she was a connoisseur in architecture and art, a linguist, and a well-read lawyer. She did a good deal of literary work under the pen-name "Miles Standish".

Early life

Lelia P. Foster was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, December 25, 1848. Her parents were Captain Thomas Foster, of

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth ( ; historically also spelled as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in and the county seat of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklor ...

, and Catherine (Fenn) Foster. Her father and grandfather were clergymen and

anti-slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. T ...

agitators. She was descended from Priscilla Mullens and

John Alden John Alden ( – September 12, 1687) was an English politician, settler, and cooper, best known for being a crew member on the historic 1620 voyage of the ''Mayflower'' which brought the English settlers commonly known as Pilgrims to Plymouth ...

, of the ''

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English sailing ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, reac ...

Colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...

. Among her ancestors were many

Revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

soldiers.

Career

Roby always felt a deep interest in the soldiers who fought in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. She was a regent of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

(DAR). On June 12, 1886, in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, where she lived, she founded the order of the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, which started with 25 members, and by 1893, numbered about 15,000 mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of soldiers and sailors who served in the civil war of 1861–65. The members of that order pledged to assist the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

in works of charity, to extend needful aid to members in sickness and distress, to aid sick soldiers, sailors and marines, to look after soldiers' orphan's homes, to see that the children obtained proper situations when they left the homes, to watch the schools, and see to it that the children received proper education in the history of the country and in patriotism. She secured many pensions for soldiers and in countless ways worked for the good of the survivors of the war. Her activities covered a wide range. She had the care and oversight of supplying the soldiers' homes with books, magazines and periodicals; she visited the homes in various parts of the country and looked after the comfort of the old soldiers, and if there were special legislation needed to right their wrongs or give them additional comforts, she went to the State legislatures or to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

to secure such enactment. Through her efforts, a memorial day was set apart in the schools for the reading of histories and stories of the civil war in preparation for Decoration Day itself. She was one of four women selected by the Chicago Board of Education to represent them before the legislature of the State to help pass the compulsory education bill. It was passed, for a large majority of the legislators were old soldiers, and the fact that Roby was their friend made voting for a measure she advocated an acceptable duty. She was the only woman member of the Lincoln Guard of Honor of

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...

, and an honorary-member of the Lincoln Guard of Honor of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, an honor conferred on her "for her many acts of devotion to his memory," through Gen.

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

. She was a member of the Chicago Academy of Science; member, Nineteenth Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry; member, Society for the Advancement of Women; and member, American Society of Authors. She also served as president, South Side Study Club of Chicago; and vice-president, Woman's National Press Association of Washington for Illinois. Roby did a good deal of literary work under the pen-name "Miles Standish". She published a large volume entitled ''Heart Beats of the Republic''.

Personal life

She married General Edward Roby, a constitutional lawyer of Chicago. They had two sons, Edward and Charles. After an illness of six months, Lelia Roby died at her residence in

South Chicago South Chicago, formerly known as Ainsworth, is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois. This chevron-shaped community is one of Chicago's 16 lakefront neighborhoods near the southern rim of Lake Michigan 10 miles south of downtow ...

, Illinois, September 18, 1910.

Selected works

* ''Heart Beats of the Republic''

References

External links

* *
Lelia P. Roby ''et al.'' v. Louisa Murphy. (1889)
at ''Reports of Cases Determined in the Appellate Courts of Illinois'', Volume 31, By Illinois. Appellate Court (Chicago: Callaghan & Company, 1890) {{DEFAULTSORT:Roby, Lelia P. 1848 births 1910 deaths 19th-century American writers 19th-century American women writers Daughters of the American Revolution people 19th-century American philanthropists American women founders American founders Philanthropists from Boston Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century 19th-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers Clubwomen Grand Army of the Republic Philanthropists from Chicago