[Ida Minerva]. American authoress, born near Titusville, PA, on a farm; passed her girlhood among the hills of the oil region; went to school in Meadville, PA; embarked at once on editorial work, having joined the staff of the Chautauquan, which she raised to wide repute; passed some years in Paris writing for American periodicals and newspapers, and forming an extensive acquaintance in the literary and art world of that city; became connected with McClure’s Magazine in New York, and contributed to it serially A Life of Napoleon, which was completed in 1895, and a Life of Lincoln, finished in 1896. She also published a Life of Madame Roland (1896). Although her themes have been trite, she has been diligent in seeking original documents, and with a lucid and vigorous style has added new interest to them. See also The Business of Being a Woman and The History of the Standard Oil Company.
