Sanborn, Kate, 1839-1917

Sanborn was a teacher, author, and lecturer whose works retained much of the casual, anecdotal manner of conversation. She was the daughter of a Dartmouth College professor and raised in an atmosphere of lively intellectual discussion.

From the description of Papers: 1883-1901. (Waverly Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122529763

Katherine Abbott Sanborn was born in 1839 in Hanover, New Hampshire where her father, Edwin David Sanborn, was professor of classics at Dartmouth College. Her mother was Mary Webster, a relative of Daniel Webster. She was educated at home. She taught at the Mary Institue in St. Louis, MO and at the Packer Institute in Brooklyn, NY. She was a newspaper and magazine correspondent who reviewed books for Scribner's magazine. In 1880 she came to teach English literature at Smith College. She left Smith in 1883. She was a popular lecturer who presented literary topics in a humorous, entertaining manner. In 1885 she wrote The Wit of Women, a collection of anecdotes and commentary that examined how women's humor was shaped by social attitudes. She designed and wrote a series of study guides called the Round Table Series of English Literature. The set of 25 study guides covered ancient Celtic literature, various authors, essay topics, quick reference materials and special readings. In 1888 Sanborn bought a dilapidated farm in Metcalf (Holliston), MA. She wrote of her experiences and misadventures as a novice farm manager in Adopting an Abandonded Farm. She later wrote of selling that farm and moving to a nearby farm, Breezy Meadows, in Abandoning an Adopted Farm. Breezy Meadows was Sanborn's home until her death at 78 in 1917.

From the description of Kate Sanborn papers, 1878-1996. (Smith College). WorldCat record id: 52204091

Author, educator, and lecturer. Full name: Katherine Abbott Sanborn.

From the description of Kate Sanborn correspondence, no year October 3. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70980374

Daughter of a Dartmouth College professor and raised in an atmosphere of lively intellectual discussion, Kate Sanborn became a teacher, author, and lecturer whose works retained much of the casual, anecdotal manner of conversation.

From the description of Papers of Kate Sanborn [manuscript], 1883-1901. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647827165

From the description of Papers of Kate Sanborn, 1883-1901. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 32136008

Katherine "Kate" Abbott Sanborn was born in 1839 in Hanover, New Hampshire. Her father, Edwin David Sanborn, was professor of classics at Dartmouth College. Her mother, Mary Webster, was a relative of Daniel Webster. Sanborn did not attend school, but was educated at home. In Memoirs and Anecdotes, she wrote of an intellectually rich childhood in which she was exposed to the politicians, academics, and writers who visited her father.

After starting a day school for faculty children, Kate Sanborn continued her teaching career at Mary Institute in St Louis, Mo. when her father became president of Washington University, and later at the Packer Institute in Brooklyn, New York. She was also a newspaper and magazine correspondent who reviewed books for Scribner's Magazine . In 1880, she was invited to teach English literature at Smith College. She left Smith in 1883.

A popular lecturer who became known for presenting literary topics in a humorous, entertaining manner, Sanborn traveled extensively throughout the country on speaking tours. In 1885, she wrote The Wit of Women, a collection of anecdotes and commentary that examined how women's humor was shaped by social attitudes. She also edited several illustrated collections of verse and published the Sunshine Calendar series, a set of small calendar books featuring quotes from famous Americans. She designed and wrote a series of study guides to literature that were published by James R. Osgood and Co. of Boston as the Round Table Series of English Literature . The set of 25 study packets ranges from ancient Celtic literature to Alfred Lord Tennyson and includes essay topics, quick reference material and special readings.

In 1888, Sanborn bought a dilapidated farm in Metcalf, (Holliston) Massachusetts, 25 miles from Boston. She wrote of her experiences and misadventures as a novice farm manager in Adopting an Abandoned Farm . Other farming books followed. She later wrote of selling that farm and moving to a nearby farm, Breezy Meadows, in Abandoning an Adopted Farm . Breezy Meadows, the setting of several light depictions of farm life, was Sanborn's home until her death at 78 in 1917.

From the guide to the Kate Sanborn Papers RG 42., 1878-1996, (Smith College Archives)