Holloway, Laura C. (Laura Carter), 1848-1930

Author of THE LADIES OF THE WHITE HOUSE, AN HOUR WITH CHARLOTTE BRONTE, THE HEARTHSTONE, and MOTHERS OF GREAT MEN AND WOMEN.

From the description of Papers,[ca. 1880-1919] (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 155456284

Mrs. Laura Carter Holloway Langford was born in Nashville, Tenn., in 1848 and died in 1930. She grew up in a world of affluence that included the last vestiges of southern plantation life. When Laura was 14 she married Junius B. Holloway. Widowed not too long after her marriage, she went to Washington, DC, and resided with fellow Tennesseeans President and Mrs. Andrew Johnson at the White House. While there she wrote The Ladies of the White House, perhaps her best known book. For many years she wrote articles, edited for the Brooklyn Eagle, and published books. She also gave public lectures in which she spoke on subjects ranging from women's rights to Charlotte Brontë. Langford lent support to such causes as Cuban independence and cremation. She belonged to the International Council of Women and was a member of Madame Blavatsky's Theosophical Society. Her second marriage--to Edward L. Langford--occurred in 1890. She was widowed a second time in 1902.

In view of Mrs. Langford's wide-ranging interests, it is not surprising that she chose to acquaint herself with the Shakers. In addition, she may have known the family of Shaker leader Anna White. Eldress Anna, with whom Mrs. Langford corresponded for thirty-five years, came from a wealthy Brooklyn, NY, family with literary inclinations. Another connection between Mrs. Langford and the Shakers was her purchase in 1906 of farmland from the New Canaan, NY, Shaker community, in which a branch of the New Lebanon, NY, North family resided.

From the description of Papers. 1874-1912. (Winterthur Library). WorldCat record id: 261233673