Myra Douglas (c. 1844–?) was an American writer and poet. Starting in her childhood, she wrote stories and verse for ''The Waverly Magazine and Literary Repository'' and '' Ballou magazine'', both of

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 ...

, and other prominent periodicals. Her poems were included in nearly all standard collections of American verse.

Biography

Myra Douglas (sometimes spelled, "Douglass") was born in

Adrian, Michigan Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County, Michigan, Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 5th congressional district. The c ...

in about 1844. Her father was John Wilkes Douglas, a medical doctor. He was one of the wealthiest men of that state. He was a physician or lawyer, and a politician. He served in the

war of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Her mother was of French ancestry. Her first marriage was to Dr. Samuel Smith in

West Unity, Ohio West Unity is a village in Williams County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,763 at the 2020 census. History West Unity was platted in 1842. A post office has been in operation at West Unity since 1842. The village was incorporated ...

; the marriage proved unhappy and she secured a divorce. Her second marriage was to William Smith, a painter; he died three years after their marriage. Years later, she married John Gwynne, a railroad man, who also died. She had one child, a daughter. In 1906, out of money, Douglas wrote to the St. Louis police chief, Edmund P. Creecy asking him to "find something for her to do". She had lost her home in St. Louis in a deal, pawned all of her jewelry, removed to

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

, and then returned to

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. Douglas was a writer since childhood, but her stories and verses were not published until adulthood. She contributed to many periodicals, among them ''Waverly'', ''Ballou'', ''Baltimorean'', ''Colman's Rural World'', and others. She was a contributor for years to the ''St. Louis Critic'', a weekly paper of her own city. She received letters of congratulation from

Frances Cleveland Frances Clara Cleveland Preston (, christened Frank Clara; July 21, 1864 – October 29, 1947) was the first lady of the United States from 1886 to 1889 and again from 1893 until 1897, as the wife of President Grover Cleveland. She was the ...

, former

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

Mary Simmerson Cunningham Logan Mary Simmerson Cunningham Logan (née Mary Simmerson Cunningham; pen name, Mrs. John A. Logan; August 15, 1838February 22, 1923) was an American writer and editor from Missouri. Early years and education It was near the present village of Sturgeo ...

, Mrs. Hendricks; also Gen.

P. G. T. Beauregard Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (May 28, 1818 – February 20, 1893) was an American military officer known as being the Confederate general who started the American Civil War at the battle of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Today, he is comm ...

wrote her words of praise and thanks for some of her ''Poems of the South''. She used her maiden name in her work, and all her contributions bore the same signature.

Selected works

* ''Poems of the South''

References

Attribution

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Myra 1840s births 19th-century American poets 19th-century American women writers American women poets People from Adrian, Michigan Writers from Michigan Year of death unknown