Jane Goodwin Austin (February 25, 1831 – March 30, 1894) was an American writer, notable for her popular stories of the time. During her lifetime, she was the author of 24 books and numerous short stories. Her friends throughout her life were some of the most well-known American authors, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Louisa May Alcott.
Early years and education
Jane Goodwin was born on February 25, 1831, in Worcester, Massachusetts, to Elizabeth (Hammatt) and Isaac Goodwin. Her parents were from Plymouth and could trace eight distinct family lines back to the Pilgrims. Jane's father, a lawyer, antiquary and genealogist, died in 1833, when she was only two. Behind him, he left a large archive of historical and legal documents from the Pilgrims, the whereabouts of which are unknown today. Her brother, John A. Goodwin, wrote a book on the Pilgrims, The Pilgrim Republic. Her mother was a poet and songwriter, and told Jane many stories of her ancestors, especially of Francis Le Baron — the nameless nobleman — and his descendants. As a child, she was educated at nine different private schools in Boston.
Career
Austin's first major publication was Fairy Dreams; or Wanderings in Elf-Land, in 1859. As she worked to establish her writing career during the 1860s, she published in periodicals such as Harper's, The Atlantic Monthly, Putnam's, Lippincott's, and The Galaxy. She wrote on a wide variety of topics, and may have been one of the first writers to deal with a malevolent female mummy in her story "After Three Thousand Years," which bears some similarities to her friend Louisa May Alcott's short story, "Lost in a Pyramid." Austin dedicated her 1869 novel Cipher to Louisa May Alcott to thank her for her help with its writing.
