Mary French Sheldon (10 May 1847 – 10 February 1936), as author May French Sheldon, was an American author and explorer.

Early years and education

Mary French was born May 10, 1847, at

Bridgewater, Pennsylvania Bridgewater is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in central Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, at the confluence of the Beaver River (Pennsylvania), Beaver and Ohio River, Ohio rivers. The population was 745 at the 2020 United States cen ...

. Her father was Joseph French, a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

, and her mother Elizabeth J. French ( Poorman), a spiritualist who later practiced "galvanic medicine" 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 ...

, as did her sister, Dr. Belle French Patterson. She was educated in the United States and overseas, studying art and developing into an author and ethnologist.

Career

In 1876, she married an American, Eli Lemon Sheldon (1848-1892), a banker and author, and they moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

where they established publishing firms. Sheldon is noted as a translator of Flaubert's ''

Salammbô ''Salammbô'' is an 1862 historical novel by Gustave Flaubert. It is set in Carthage immediately before and during the Mercenary Revolt (241–237 BCE). Flaubert's principal source was Book I of the '' Histories'', written by the Greek hist ...

'', and was the author of papers and essays. As a writer, Sheldon wrote a number of novels, short stories, and essays. She acquired fame for an expedition. In 1891, inspired by the activities of

Henry Morton Stanley Sir Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands; 28 January 1841 – 10 May 1904) was a Welsh-American explorer, journalist, soldier, colonial administrator, author, and politician famous for his exploration of Central Africa and search for missi ...

, who was a family friend, she left London for Africa. Her travels were sponsored by Sir Alfred Jones, who had been requested by

King Leopold II of Belgium Leopold II (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. Born in Brussels as the second but eldest-surviving son of King Le ...

to dampen British criticism of human rights abuses in the Congo. While in the Congo, she traveled on steamboats owned by the state and its company allies, who controlled where she went and what she saw. When she returned to England, Jones helped place her articles in newspapers. She stated "I have witnessed more atrocities in London streets than I have ever seen in the Congo." She gave a presentation/slide show for an audience of five hundred at the Savoy Hotel in London, with expenses paid by King Leopold. Thereafter, the king paid her a monthly salary to lobby members of Parliament. She obtained assistance from African peoples as she explored around Lake Chala. Her journey from

Mombassa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano i ...

caused a sensation because she was not accompanied by a white companion (although she was hardly unaccompanied -– she had 150 Zanzibari porters and guides). She returned with ethnographic materials, wrote on her experience, and undertook a lecture tour. French Sheldon received multiple awards for her exhibition at the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

, and was appointed membership in societies such as the Writer's Club and the Anthropological Society of Washington. She was made a fellow of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

, among the first fifteen women to receive this honour, in November 1892. She died in London on 10 February 1936, with a funeral at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and is one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £136,000 in 2021), ...

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

African Women Bibliographic Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheldon, May French 1847 births 1936 deaths 19th-century American novelists 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American translators American expatriates in the United Kingdom American explorers American women novelists American explorers of Africa American women explorers Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Novelists from Pennsylvania People from Beaver County, Pennsylvania