American novelist, born at Ogden, NY, on the 18th of September 1827; commenced his career as a teacher, but removed to New York in 1846, as a writer for magazines, and settled in Boston the following year; became editor of The Yankee Nation (1850); and co-editor, with Gail Hamilton and Lucy Larcom, of Our Young Folks (1870–73). He wrote many novels under the pseudonym of “Paul Creyton.” Among them are Father Brighthopes (1853); Burr Cliff (1853); Hearts and Faces (1853); Martin Merrivale (1854); Iron Thorpe (1855); Neighbor Jackwood (1857); The Old Battle-Ground (1859); The Drummer Boy (1863); Cudjo’s Cave (1864); The Three Scouts (1865, 1890); Neighbors’ Wives (1867); The Story of Columbus (1869); Lawrence’s Adventures Amongst the Ice Cutters (1870); Coupon Bonds (1871); Fast Friends (1874); The Book of Gold, and Other Poems (1877); Bound in Honor (1877); His Own Master (1877); The Silver Medal Series (1880–82); A Home Idyll, and Other Poems (1881); Tinkham Brothers’ Tide-Mill (1884); Farnell’s Folly (1884); The Little Master (1887); His One Fault (1887); Biding His Time (1888); The Lost Earl, and Other Poems and Tales (1888); A Start in Life (1888); The Adventures of David Vane and David Crane (1889); The Kelp Gatherers (1890); The Scarlet Tanager (1891); The Fortunes of Toby Trafford (1892); Woodie Thorpe’s Pilgrimage (1893); The Lottery Ticket (1895); etc. His stories are immensely popular; he knows how to tell them and how to interest the reader. Cudjo’s Cave had the greatest sale of all his books, but the author regards Tinkham Brothers’ Tide-Mill, The Little Master and His One Fault as his best works, from a literary point of view. He also published a collection of his verse, entitled The Vagabonds, and Other Poems (1869) and The Lost Earl (1888), a volume of tales in rhyme. See also “Fred Trover’s Little Iron-Clad.”
