E. J. Eames

E. J. Eames (née, Elizabeth Jessup; pen name Stella and Mrs. E. J. Eames; June 26, 1813 – November 1856) was a 19th-century American writer of prose and poetry.^[1] She was a regular contributor to Horace Greeley's New Yorker for some years before her marriage (under the signature of "Stella"); and thereafter, her writings frequently appeared in Graham's Magazine, the Southern Literary Messenger, and later still, in The Columbian.^[2]

Early life

Elizabeth Jessup was born in Schodack, New York on June 26, 1813.^[3] Her father, Isaac Jessup (d. 1853, was a Deacon and served as County Treasurer of Will County, Illinois. Her siblings included brothers, and a sister, Sarah (d. 1863).^[4] Until age 17, Eames lived in a secluded village on the banks of the Hudson River.^[2][5] She suffered from poor health.^[2]

Career

She began publishing in 1831, over the signature of "Stella".^[3] In 1834, she removed with her parents to Channahon, Will County, Illinois.^[3] For several years, she was a contributor to the New Yorker, and later, frequently wrote for the New-York Tribune.^[5] Greeley once made her an offer for the manuscript volume, which was declined.^[3] Elizabeth was Greeley's first love, but her father strongly opposed the match, insisting that his daughter should marry Walter S. Eames, a rich man, in preference to a poor printer.^[6]

In February 1837, she married Walter S. Eames (1805-1851), an Illinois farmer. They removed to New Hartford, New York near Utica,^[5] where he was engaged in mercantile business. Their children were, William L. (1838–1868), Albertine (1840–1872), Fannie S. (b. 1842), and Charles E. (b. 1844).^[7] After her marriage, she signed her writings, "Mrs. E. J. Eames".^[3] Greeley retained a warm regard for Eames even after her marriage.^[6]

Eames was the friend and contemporary of Margaret Fuller at the time when Fuller had charge of the literary department of the New-York Tribune.^[3] Eames' poetry especially attracted the attention of Edgar Allan Poe, who also was struck with her beauty and charm.^[6] Eames' more carefully finished poems appeared in Graham's Magazine and the Southern Literary Messenger.^[5] Many of her poems were published in a volume issued just before her death.^[6]

Later life

Mr. Eames drowned in the Hudson River in September 1851.^[3] Mrs. Eames died at of consumption^[8][a] in Channahon, Illinois, November 1856.^[1] Her papers passed into the possession of her children.^[3]

Critical reception

Rufus Wilmot Griswold, in his Female Poets of America, said of Eames:— "She writes with feeling, but she regards poetry as an art, and to the cultivation of it she brings her best powers. While thoughtful and earnest, therefore, her pieces are for the most part distinguished for a tasteful elegance." He selected for publication "The Crowning of Petrarch", "The Death of Pan", "Cleopatra", the "Sonnets" to Milton, Dryden, Addison, and Tasso, and a few other of her productions.^[3]

Selected works

• The Lost Shell Ballad

Notes

References

Attribution

• This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Beecher, Henry Ward; Talmage, T. DeWitt (1886). "Notes and Queries". The Brooklyn Magazine (Public domain ed.). New York: Brooklyn Magazine Company.
• This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Griswold, Rufus Wilmot; Stoddard, Richard Henry (1878). "ELIZABETH J. EAMES". The Female Poets of America (Public domain ed.). J. Miller.
• This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Jesup, Henry Griswold (1887). Edward Jessup of West Farms, Westchester Co., New York, and His Descendants: With an Introduction and an Appendix, the Latter Containing Records of Other American Families of the Name with Some Additional Memoranda (Public domain ed.). Priv. print. for the author by J. Wilson.
• This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: May, Caroline (1858). The American Female Poets: With Biographical and Critical Notices (Public domain ed.). Lindsay & Blakiston.
• This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Oneida Historical Society at Utica (1889). Transactions of the Oneida Historical Society at Utica (Public domain ed.). The Society.
• This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Wm. Le Baron, Jr. & Company (1878). The History of Will County, Illinois: Containing a History of the County ... a Directory of Its Real Estate Owners; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; General and Local Statistics ...history of Illinois ... History of the Northwest ... (Public domain ed.). Chicago: Wm. Le Baron, Jr. & Company.

This page was last edited on 23 May 2022, at 02:34