Susan Bogert Warner (

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 ...

, Elizabeth Wetherell; July 11, 1819 – March 17, 1885) was an American

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

writer of

religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

, children's fiction, and theological works. She is best remembered for her massive bestseller ''

The Wide, Wide World ''The Wide, Wide World'' is an 1850 novel by Susan Warner, published under the pseudonym Elizabeth Wetherell. It is often acclaimed as America's first bestseller. Plot ''The Wide, Wide World'' is a work of sentimentalism about the life of yo ...

''. Her other works include ''Queechy'', ''The Hills of the Shatemuc'', ''Melbourne House'', ''Daisy'', ''Walks from Eden'', ''House of Israel'', ''What She Could'', ''Opportunities'', and ''House in Town''. Warner and her sister,

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

, wrote a series of semi-religious novels that had extraordinary sales, including ''Say and Seal'', ''Christmas Stocking'', ''Books of Blessing'' (in 8 volumes), and ''The Law and the Testimony''.

Early years and education

Susan Warner was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, July 11, 1819. Warner could trace her lineage back to the

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

on both sides. Her father was Henry Warner, a New York City lawyer originally from

New England New England is a region consisting of 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 (state), New York to the west and by the ...

, and her mother was Anna Bartlett, from a wealthy, fashionable family in New York's

Hudson Square Hudson Square is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by Clarkson Street to the north, Canal Street (Manhattan), Canal Street to the south, Varick Street (Manhattan), Varick Street to the east, and ...

. When Warner was a young child, her mother died, and her father's sister, Fanny, came to live with the Warners. Though the father had been wealthy, he lost most of his fortune in the

Panic of 1837 The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that began a major depression (economics), depression which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages dropped, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment rose, and pes ...

and in subsequent lawsuits and poor investments. The family had to leave their mansion at St. Mark's Place in New York and move to an old Revolutionary War-era farmhouse on

Constitution Island Constitution Island is in the northeastern United States, located in New York on the east side of the Hudson River, north of New York City. It is directly opposite the U.S. Military Academy Reservation at West Point and is connected ...

, near

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

. In 1849, seeing little change in their family's financial situation, Susan and Anna started writing to earn income.

Career

She wrote, under the name of "Elizabeth Wetherell", thirty novels, many of which went into multiple editions. However, her first novel, ''

'' (1850), was the most popular. It was translated into several other languages, including French, German, and Dutch. Other than ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two Volume (bibliography), volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans ...

'', it was perhaps the most widely circulated story of American authorship. Other works include ''Queechy'' (1852), ''The Law and the Testimony'', (1853), ''The Hills of the Shatemuc'', (1856), ''The Old Helmet'' (1863), and ''Melbourne House'' (1864). In the nineteenth century, critics admired the depictions of rural American life in her early novels. American reviewers also praised Warner's Christian and moral teachings, while London reviewers tended not to favor her didacticism. Early twentieth-century critics classified Warner's work as "sentimental" and thus lacking in literary value. In the later twentieth century, feminist critics rediscovered ''The Wide, Wide World'', discussing it as a quintessential domestic novel and focusing on analyzing its portrayal of gender dynamics. Some of her works were written jointly with her younger sister

Anna Bartlett Warner Anna Bartlett Warner (August 31, 1827 – January 22, 1915) was an American writer, the author of several books, and of poems set to music as hymns and religious songs for children. She is best known for writing the hymn " Jesus Loves Me". Biogr ...

, who sometimes wrote under the pseudonym "Amy Lothrop". The Warner sisters also wrote children's Christian songs. Susan wrote "

Jesus Bids Us Shine "Jesus Bids Us Shine" is a Christian child's prayer, children's hymn with words by Susan Warner, Susan Bogert Warner (1819-1885) and music by Edwin Othello Excell (1851-1921). It was first published in the children's magazine ''The Little Corpora ...

" while Anna was author of the first verse of the well-known children's song "

Jesus Loves Me "Jesus Loves Me" is a Christian hymn written by Anna Bartlett Warner (1827–1915). The lyrics first appeared as a poem in the context of an 1860 novel called ''Say and Seal'', written by her older sister Susan Warner (1819–1885), in whic ...

", which she wrote at Susan's request. Both sisters became devout Christians in the late 1830s. After their conversion, they became confirmed members of the Mercer Street Presbyterian church, although in later life, Warner became drawn into Methodist circles. The sisters also held Bible studies for the

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

cadets. When they were on military duty, the cadets would sing "Jesus Loves Me." The popularity of the song was so great that upon Warner's death, she was buried in the West Point Cemetery. Susan Warner died in

Highland Falls Highland Falls, formerly named Buttermilk Falls, is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,684 at the 2020 census. The village was founded in 1906. It is part of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie– Newbur ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and is buried in the

West Point Cemetery West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, West Point, New York (state), New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Continental Army s ...

List of works

*''

'', 1850; ''Die weite, weite Welt'', Leipzig: G. H. Friedlein 1853
''Queechy''
1852 *''The Law and the Testimony'', 1853
''The Hills of the Shatemuc: In Two Volumes''
1856 *''Say and Seal'', 1860 *''Melbourne House'', 1864
''What She Could'', 1871
*''The Flag Of Truce'', 1874 *''My Desire'', 1879 *''The End of A Coil'', 1880 *''Nobody'', 1882 *''The Letter of Credit'', 1887
''The House in Town: A Sequel to "Opportunities"''
1871
''Willow Brook''
1874
''Mr. Rutherford's children, Volume 1''
1853
''Opportunities: A Sequel to "What She Could."''
1871
''The Word: Walks Form Eden''
1866
''Bread and Oranges''
1875
''The Old Helmet''
1864
''Carl Krinken: His Christmas Stocking''
1854

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links