Magdalene Merritt

Magdalene Merritt (née, LaGrange; September 17, 1864 – 1935) was an American poet. She published two volumes, Songs of the Helderberg (1893) and Helderberg harmonies (1909).

Magdalene Merritt
"A Woman of the Century"
"A Woman of the Century"
BornMagdalene Isadora La Grange
September 17, 1864
Guilderland, New York, US
Died1935
Occupationpoet
Alma materAlbany Female College
Notable works
  • Songs of the Helderberg
  • Helderberg harmonies
SpouseAaron Merritt
Signature

Early life and education

Magdalene Isadora La Grange was born in Guilderland, New York, September 17, 1864. Her parents were Myndert (1815-1892) and Julia Ann (1821-1902), second cousins of Count Johannes de la Grange who emigrated to the United States in 1656 from La Rochelle, France.[1] Magdalene's siblings included, James, Andrew, Eleanor, Myndert, Vanderzee, Julia, Norman, Hester, Angelica, Ada, Harlan, Clinton, and Mary.[2] Her family was of Huguenot origin. The ancestral home, "Elmwood Farm",[1] was in the possession of the family for more than 200 years.

Merritt was educated in the Albany Female College, Albany, New York. She studied for three years with Prof. William P. Morgan.[3]

Career

She began at an early age to write prose articles for the press. Some of her early poems were published and were so well-received that she continued writing others. Her songs were of the plaintive kind, religious and subjective in tone.[3] Merritt's poems appeared in the Springfield Republican, The American Agriculturist, Christian Work, Evangelist,[4] and the Locomotive Engineers Journal.[5] Her commemorative poem, "The Tried and True", was read aloud in Guilderland at services commemorating the town's history in 1890, 2003, and 2012.[6][7][8]

Songs of the Helderberg

A poetry collection, Songs of the Helderberg, was issued in 1893, under her maiden name,[3] and included her portrait on the frontispiece. A review of the collection by the Locomotive Engineers Journal (1893) mentioned,— "She generally choses simple themes, making them attractive with truth and deep feeling. One of the leading charms of her verse is its directness and simplicity of diction. the book is not only charming in itself, but interesting for its rich promise for the future."[5]

Helderberg harmonies

She married Aaron Merritt of Voorheesville, locomotive engineer on the West Shore Railroad;[1] they had no children.[2] They lived on her farm, "Oak Knoll, located on the banks of the Normans Kill.[1] Helderberg harmonies, published in 1909 under her married name, Magdalene Merritt,[9] includes views of Helderberg by the landscape photographer, Clayton Le Gallez, of Albany.[4]

Selected works

Magdalene I. La Grange
  • Songs of the Helderberg, 1893 (Text)

Magdalene Merritt
  • Helderberg harmonies, 1909 (Text)

References
  1. "Sketches-M". albany.nygenweb.net. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  2. Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation ... (Public domain ed.). Lewis Historical Publishing Company. 1913. p. 1146. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  3. Willard & Livermore 1893, p. 444.
  4. Merritt, Mrs Magadalene Isadora La Grange (1909). Kains, M. G. (ed.). Helderberg Harmonies (Public domain ed.). Voorheesville, N.Y.: M. Merritt. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  5. "Locomotive Engineers Journal". 27. 1893: 656. Retrieved 3 November 2021. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. Grondahl, Paul (16 June 2012). "Ruing war, revering those who fought". Times Union. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  7. Buell, Bill (14 June 2012). "Memorial service for veterans planned at Prospect Hill - Magdalena La Grange's 1890 poem "The Tried and True" will once again be heard throughout the Soldier". dailygazette.com. The Daily Gazette. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  8. Begley, Alice; Johnson, Mary Ellen (1999). Guilderland, New York. Arcadia Publishing. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7385-0112-3. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  9. The American Catalogue (Public domain ed.). A.C. Armstrong & Son. 1911. p. 912. Retrieved 3 November 2021.

Attribution
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