Sarah Elizabeth Bierce (1838–1898) was an American journalist and educator who was a charter member of the Woman's Press Club of Cleveland.

Early years and education

She was born Sarah Elizabeth Holden in

Sweden, Maine Sweden is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 406 at the 2020 census. Set among hills, forests and ponds, Sweden includes the village of East Sweden. History This was once territory of the Abenaki tribe, whose ma ...

, she attended primary school in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

later moving to

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

and graduating from

Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo College, also known as Kalamazoo, K College, KC or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833 by Baptist ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute, Kalamazoo is the oldest private college in ...

in 1860.

Career

After graduating from college, for six years she taught in both public and private schools. While engaged in school work, she wrote plays, which were first used by her pupils and afterwards published. Dring her marriage from 1866, to her husband's death, in 1881, Bierce wrote little for the press. In 1885, she worked with the ''

Cleveland Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'', contributing stories and sketches of home life and pioneer incidents. She wrote accounts of her travel which included California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. She investigated certain phases of the working-woman problem, and she wrote articles on art subjects. She was a member of the

Ohio Woman's Press Association Ohio Woman's Press Association was an American professional association for women writers and journalists. History The Ohio Woman’s Press Association was formed in the spring of 1886, by a group of Cleveland women workers in various lines of jou ...

and in 1892, was their corresponding secretary. In 1891, she was their delegate to the

International League of Press Clubs International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

, formed in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

. Bierce managed the women's literary and journalistic department of the Ohio Centennial, held in Columbus in 1888. She died in October 1898 and is buried at

Lake View Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a privately owned, nonprofit garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland in the U.S. state of Ohio. Founded in 1869, the cemetery was favored by wealthy families during the Gil ...

.Mortuary Notice. (1898, October 13). Plain Dealer (Issue 287), p. 10.

References

* Frances Elizabeth Willard and Mary Ashton Rice Livermore, "Sarah Elizabeth Bierce", ''Woman of the Century'', 1893, Charles Wells Moulton

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bierce, Sarah 1838 births People from Oxford County, Maine American women journalists Kalamazoo College alumni Journalists from Maine 1898 deaths Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century