M. E. M. Davis

Mollie Evelyn Moore Davis (née, Moore; pen name, M. E. M. Davis; April 12, 1844 – January 1, 1909) was an American poet, writer, and editor of the long nineteenth century. From the age of 14, she wrote regularly for the press and other periodicals. Though born in Alabama, a critic said of her that she was "more thoroughly Texan in subject, in imagery and spirit than any of the Texas poets," and that scarcely any other than a native Texan could "appreciate all the merits of her poems, so strongly marked are they by the peculiarities of Texas scenery and patriotism."

Early life and education

Mary Evalina Moore was born in Talladega, Alabama, on April 12, 1844. She was the only daughter of Dr. John Moore and Lucy Crutchfield. Her father was born at Oxford, Massachusetts. He moved to Alabama after receiving classical training and graduating in medicine. Her mother's family lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Two of her maternal uncles, Thomas and William, attained the rank of colonel, the former in the Confederate, the latter in the Union army. Her father was a pioneer in the manufacture of iron in Alabama, discovering the ore in 1848, smelting it with charcoal, and forging it into bars under a trip hammer operated by water power. A few years before the outbreak of the American Civil War, Dr. Moore moved to Texas with his family to run a cotton plantation, La Rose Blanche Plantation, in Hays County on the banks of the San Marcos River

At La Rose Blanche, Moore was taught by private tutors, and began to write verses. With her brother, she learned not only to read, but to ride, shoot and swim.