52:
admitted to the bar. However, because of the traction his writing had gained under the pseudonym "Florio", he abandoned his career in law and became a full-time author. In 1823, he moved to New York City and founded the "Literary
Gazette", where his wife would later publish some of her poetry. He also became the editor of multiple journals where he published his own work. These journals include the "Minerva", the " New York Daily Sentinel", and the "Morning Courier". He married Aikin on a Friday evening in Albany, New York. He was supportive of her writing during their marriage, as they published
83:. Her poetry remained anonymous in the margins of these periodicals and depicted lighthearted themes such as human emotion and nature. These poems include titles such as "Romance", "Moonlight", and "Oh, Fling the Robe!". These poems were exceptionally well-spoken and eloquent, likely due to her educational background. As an editor, her husband left comments on her work published in the
94:
entitled by Mary with her husband. The couples' collection is the only known work Mary included her given name on. "The Rivals of Este", the collection's namesake, is a poem that intertwines the themes of love, jealousy, and ambition within the historical context of
Renaissance Italy. This collection
42:
Outside of writing, Mary was a talented artist who depicted nature in her drawings. The plates in "The
Natural History of the State of New York”, created by her paleontologist brother-in-law James Hall, were based on Mary and Sarah's drawings. They were a collection of images and descriptions of the
34:
Mary was born in
Poughkeepsie, New York to Belhpine Aikin (mother) and John Aikin (father). She was baptized in Christ's Church on February 5, 1804. She had one sibling, Sarah Amelia Aikin, who was born in 1809. Sarah was also an author and published a 144-page book of poetry titled "Phantasia, and
103:
Following her husband's death in 1841, Mary remained in Albany, New York with her daughter, Constantina. She continued publishing in periodicals during this time, while her daughter wrote the poetry that would later be published in her "Ballads and
Translations" years later in 1866. Mary died from
51:
In 1828, Aikin married James Brooks, an accomplished writer. While in college, Brooks was a member of the
Adelphic Society which was an organization for literary scholars. He graduated from Union College, where he studied law, in 1818. Shortly after this, he moved to Poughkeepsie, New York and was
26:(November 15, 1803 – February 27, 1895) was an American poet during the American Renaissance period. Most of her published work includes short poems which were published in various periodicals in New York throughout the 1800's under the pseudonym, "Norna".
43:
natural world of New York including landscapes, fossils, and animals illustrated by the Aikin sisters. Similar to their poetry, they left their illustrations unsigned. However, Hall credited and praised their work in his 1843 volume.
339:
Ancestry
Library. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/149926102:60525?tid=&pid=&queryId=529da8f0-24df-48e6-a71e-baeb516355a2&_phsrc=Uau11&_phstart=successSource
60:, their first and only child, was born in 1835. Mary and James moved to Rochester, New York in 1838 and then again to Albany shortly after. A few years later, James passed away on February 20, 1841.
35:
Other Poems". under the pen name "Hinda". Mary attended school at Troy Female
Seminary, the first secondary school for women in the United States, now known as the
411:
421:
426:
406:
332:
Union
College Schaffer Library Special Collections. https://arches.union.edu/do/2676ad0c-098b-4a2d-8ed2-828ea9aa72c9#page/14/mode/2up
287: Lindsay and Blakiston. 1853. Pp. 281-285. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/amverse/BAE7433.0001.001/1:36?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
416:
325:
Gould, Kendall & Lincoln, Boston. 1842-1894. doi https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/naturalhistoryof01hallj
234:
68:
Throughout her young adult years, Mary E. Brooks published short poems in multiple periodicals including
158:
57:
95:
also most notably includes her "Hebrew
Melodies", a series of poems which contain Biblical allusions.
401:
396:
36:
56:
together. In 1830, the couple moved to Winchester, Virginia, where Mr. Brooks edited a newspaper.
125:
121:
294:
2023. https://www.iugs.org/_files/ugd/f1fc07_4a8fe910371c4339b0ee4b552eaf16ce.pdf?index=true
115:
346:
Ancestry Library. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/213179:61224
390:
290:
Bourgeois, Joanne. "James and Sarah Hall The Geology of Western New York (1843).
191:
129:
159:"New York, U.S., Episcopal Diocese of New York Church Records, 1767-1970"
344:
New York, U.S., Episcopal Diocese of New York Church Records, 1767-1970.
321:
Hall, James. "Natural history of New York Div. I, pts. III-IV, Plates".
308:. 20 November 2020. https://www.nps.gov/places/willardschool.htm
270:
New-York Literary Gazette & American Athenaeum, 1826, p 105
351:
New York Literary Gazette & American Atheneaum.
87:
such as "We welcome the sweet and contemplative Norna."
193:
American Female Poets [an electronic edition]
317:
Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926.
368:New York Literary Gazette and American Athenaeum.
73:The New York Amulet, Ladies' Chronicles Magazine,
292:Anniversaries Geology of New York 180 years ago.
8:
378:Appletons' cyclopaedia of American biography
114:Brooks, James G.; Brooks, Mary E. (1828).
382:Sabin Americana: History of the Americas,
380:. Vol. 1, D. Appleton and Company, 1887.
297:Brooks, James Gordon and Mary E. Aiken.
104:old age on February 27, 1895 in Albany.
150:
337:U.S. Find a Grave Index 1600s-Current.
376:Wilson, James Grant, and John Fiske.
7:
257:
255:
92:The Rivals of Este: and other Poems,
412:19th-century American women writers
328:"James Gordon Brooks Alumni File."
117:The Rivals of Este: and Other Poems
54:The Rivals of Este: and other Poems
422:People from Poughkeepsie, New York
14:
356:Norna, "Oh, Fling the Robe!".
224:Wilson and Fiske, 1887, p. 404
215:Wilson and Fiske, 1887, p. 386
1:
163:ancestrylibrary.proquest.com
427:Poets from New York (state)
407:19th-century American poets
313:The female poets of America
443:
335:"Mary Elizabeth Brooks".
315:. Carey and Hart, 1849,
301:J. & J. Harper, 1829.
342:"Mary Elizabeth".
311:Griswold, Rufus Wilmot.
283:American Female Poets .
304:"Emma Willard School".
285:American Verse Project.
90:In 1829, she published
323:Smithsonian Libraries.
261:Griswold, 1849, p. 139
206:Bourgeoise, 2023, p. 2
181:Bourgeoise, 2023, p. 3
306:National Park Service
99:Later years and death
58:Constantina E. Brooks
417:American women poets
366:Norna, "Moonlight".
370:1826. Pp. 105-106.
299:The Rivals of Este.
37:Emma Willard School
349:Norna, "Romance".
122:J. & J. Harper
79:and her husband's
434:
271:
268:
262:
259:
250:
249:
247:
245:
231:
225:
222:
216:
213:
207:
204:
198:
197:
188:
182:
179:
173:
172:
170:
169:
155:
140:
138:
136:
81:Literary Gazette
20:Mary Elizabeth (
442:
441:
437:
436:
435:
433:
432:
431:
387:
386:
360:1830. Pp. 100.
280:
275:
274:
269:
265:
260:
253:
243:
241:
233:
232:
228:
223:
219:
214:
210:
205:
201:
190:
189:
185:
180:
176:
167:
165:
157:
156:
152:
147:
134:
132:
113:
110:
101:
66:
49:
32:
17:
12:
11:
5:
440:
438:
430:
429:
424:
419:
414:
409:
404:
399:
389:
388:
385:
384:
374:
364:
358:The Craftsman.
354:
353:1826. Pp. 283.
347:
340:
333:
326:
319:
309:
302:
295:
288:
279:
276:
273:
272:
263:
251:
235:"Alumni Files"
226:
217:
208:
199:
183:
174:
149:
148:
146:
143:
142:
141:
109:
106:
100:
97:
70:The Craftsman,
65:
62:
48:
45:
31:
28:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
439:
428:
425:
423:
420:
418:
415:
413:
410:
408:
405:
403:
400:
398:
395:
394:
392:
383:
379:
375:
373:
369:
365:
363:
359:
355:
352:
348:
345:
341:
338:
334:
331:
330:Alumni Files.
327:
324:
320:
318:
314:
310:
307:
303:
300:
296:
293:
289:
286:
282:
281:
277:
267:
264:
258:
256:
252:
240:
239:Union College
236:
230:
227:
221:
218:
212:
209:
203:
200:
195:
194:
187:
184:
178:
175:
164:
160:
154:
151:
144:
131:
127:
123:
119:
118:
112:
111:
108:Notable works
107:
105:
98:
96:
93:
88:
86:
82:
78:
74:
71:
63:
61:
59:
55:
46:
44:
40:
38:
29:
27:
25:
23:
16:American poet
381:
377:
371:
367:
361:
357:
350:
343:
336:
329:
322:
316:
312:
305:
298:
291:
284:
266:
242:. Retrieved
238:
229:
220:
211:
202:
192:
186:
177:
166:. Retrieved
162:
153:
133:. Retrieved
120:. New York:
116:
102:
91:
89:
84:
80:
76:
72:
69:
67:
53:
50:
41:
33:
21:
19:
18:
402:1895 deaths
397:1803 births
135:January 20,
391:Categories
372:EBSCOhost.
362:EBSCOhost.
168:2024-06-14
145:References
30:Early life
130:191251360
244:June 14,
47:Marriage
24:) Brooks
278:Sources
196:. 1853.
85:Gazette
64:Writing
128:
77:Mirror
22:Aikin
246:2024
137:2024
126:OCLC
75:the
393::
254:^
237:.
161:.
124:.
39:.
248:.
171:.
139:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.