Matilda Maranda Crawford (, Quackenbush;

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, 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 na ...

s, Maude Moore, M. M., Mrs. John Crawford; 21 July 1844 – 24 December 1920) was an American-Canadian newspaper correspondent and poet. ''Songs of All Seasons, Climes and Times: A Motley Jingle of Jumbled Rhymes'' was published in 1890. In addition to contributing to the literary press, Crawford was engaged in teaching.

Early life and education

Matilda (

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s Mattie or Maty) Maranda Quackenbush was born in Clay, New York, near

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, 21 July 1844. She was of German ancestry. Her father, Garret Quackenbush, was a laborer, and her mother, Sarah Reese, was a tailor. In 1851, Crawford, her mother, and five older siblings removed to Consecon, Prince Edward County,

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on th ...

, where Crawford attended a grammar school. Gifted with an active and retentive memory, each bit of poetry she heard was remembered, and when but a child, she recited at one time the whole of Oliver Goldsmith 's ''

The Deserted Village ''The Deserted Village'' is a poem by Oliver Goldsmith published in 1770. It is a work of social commentary, and condemns rural depopulation and the pursuit of excessive wealth. The poem is written in heroic couplets, and describes the declin ...

''. Quick to learn, by the age of twelve, she was at the head of her classes, but at this point, had not written a composition.

Career

As an adult, Crawford lived in

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for some time, and while there, she was engaged in teaching. It was at that point that she began to contribute to the literary press. In 1868, she returned to Canada, locating in Newtonville, Ontario. While there, she wrote for various Canadian and American newspapers as a pastime. In 1871, she married John Crawford (1840-1912), of Clarke, Ontario. She had two children, a boy and girl (Maude). For a few years, she focused on domestic responsibilities and did not write. In 1887, an entire summer's illness afforded her leisure time for literary work, and thereafter, she wrote for the press again using various pen names, including "Maude Moore", "M. M.", and "Mrs. John Crawford".

Death

Crawford died of a stroke in

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, Canada on 24 December 1920, and was buried at Port Hope Union Cemetery.

Selected works

* ''Songs of All Seasons, Climes and Times: A Motley Jingle of Jumbled Rhymes'' (1890)

Notes

References

Attribution

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Matilda Maranda 1844 births 1920 deaths 19th-century Canadian non-fiction writers American emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario 19th-century Canadian women writers 19th-century Canadian poets People from Clay, New York Canadian newspaper reporters and correspondents Canadian women poets Canadian women non-fiction writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century