Mary Gay Humphreys

Mary Gay Humphreys (1843 - 1915) was an American journalist and author. She is best known for her writings in multiple news outlets, and her books including one on Catherine Schuyler, a socialite in Colonial America.

Mary Gay Humphreys
Born1843
Ripley, Ohio
Died1915
Other namesHenry Somerville
Elinor Gray

Life

She was born in Ripley, Ohio[1] in 1843 to William Smith Humphreys and Henrietta Somerville Write and died in 1915.[2] She served as a nurse in the Civil War and the Philippines.[1]

Writings

Humphreys was wrote in multiple periodicals including The Art Amateur, Scribner's Sons,[3] Harper's Bazaar,[4] Harper's Weekly,[5] The Evening Sun,[6] and The Chicago Inter-Ocean.[7]In 1885, she co-authored, using the pen name Elinor Gray,[1] a book with American Christian author, William Boardman. The book was called Skilful Susy: A Book of Fairs and Bazars, and it reviewed ouvrages de dames, fancy work, and other craft-work required in an 18th century household. Her next book, Catherine Schuyler, was a biography of Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler who was born in colonial New York to a prominent Dutch family and provides insight into the daily toils of upper-class 18th century women.

Humphreys then used the nom-de-plume, Henry Somerville, for her next two books. When Jack Racer was first published, the news described the author Henry Somerville as a native of Ohio who worked in the newspaper business and who had been encouraged by his mother to write fiction.[8] Later it was revealed that Somerville was the nom-de-plume of Humphreys.[9][10] Humphreys went on to publish a sequel, Racer of Illinois, in 1902.

Her final book, Missionary Explorers Among the American Indians, was included as a volume in Scribner's in 1913. The article was devoted to the lives of six American missionaries: John Eliot, Samson Occum, David Brainerd, Marcus Whitman, Stephen Riggs and John Lewis Dyer.

Selected publications
  • Humphreys, Mary Gay (1885). Skilful Susy. OCLC 1157217061. Retrieved 2022-07-09. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)

References
  1. Coyle, William (1962). Ohio authors and their books: biographical data and selective bibliographies for Ohio authors, native and resident, 1796-1950. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Cleveland, New York, The World Pub. Co. p. 329.
  2. "LIBRARY TALK – MARCH 14, 2022 – Union Township Public Library". 2022-05-25. Archived from the original on 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  3. "Clipped From The Owensboro Messenger". The Owensboro Messenger. 1896-07-29. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  4. "Clipped From The Valley Virginian". The Valley Virginian. 1890-05-08. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  5. "Clipped From The Hillsdale Standard". The Hillsdale Standard. 1898-07-26. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  6. "Clipped From The Times-Democrat". The Times-Democrat. 1894-07-12. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  7. "Clipped From The Inter Ocean". The Inter Ocean. 1889-03-17. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  8. "Clipped From The Brooklyn Citizen". The Brooklyn Citizen. 1901-09-08. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  9. "The Literary Outlook". Savannah Morning News. 1902-02-09. pp. , . Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  10. "Clipped From The Brooklyn Citizen". The Brooklyn Citizen. 1902-01-19. p. 19. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  11. Reviews for Catherine Schuyler "Clipped From The Inter Ocean". The Inter Ocean. 1897-10-16. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  12. Reviews of Jack Racer
  13. Review of Racer of Illinois
  14. Reviews for Missionary Explorers among the American Indians
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