Hamilton, Gail, 1833-1896

Author; b. Mary Abigail Dodge.

From the description of Correspondence, 1849-1893. (Lewis & Clark Library). WorldCat record id: 31327028

Pen name of American author Mary Abigail Dodge.

From the description of Papers of Gail Hamilton [manuscript] 1862-1895. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647812158

Gail Hamilton was born Mary Abigail Dodge on March 31, 1833, in Hamilton, Massachusetts to Hannah Stanwood and James Brown Dodge. She graduated from Ipswich Female Seminary in 1850 and taught there until 1854. She then taught at Hartford Female Seminary, founded by Catherine Beecher, and then finally at Hartford High School. In 1858 she went to Washington, D.C. as a governess to Gamaliel Bailey's children. There she established herself as a writer. She returned to Hamilton from 1860-1868 to care for her mother. During this period she became very close to John Greenleaf Whittier. In 1871 she began spending winters in the household of House Speaker James G. Blaine, and many believe she wrote his speeches. She died on August 12, 1896, in Hamilton.

From the guide to the Hamilton correspondence MS 0545., 1849-1893., (Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections)

Author Mary Abigail Dodge, better known as "Gail Hamilton," was born in Hamilton, Mass., the youngest child of James and Hannah Stanwood Dodge. For biographical information, see Notable American Women, 1607-1950 (1971).

From the description of Letters, 1895, n.d. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 232007092