Olive Harper

Olive Harper (September 28, 1842 – May 2, 1915), the alias of Ellen Burrell D'Apery, was an American journalist, writer, and poet. Her novels comprise mystery, detective, and science fiction stories, including A Fair Californian (1889), The Show Girl: Or, the Cap of Fortune (1902), and The Sociable Ghost (1903). She also wrote novelizations of various plays, primarily written by Owen Davis, including The Gambler of the West (1906) and King of the Bigamists (1909).

Life

Harper, also known by her real name Ellen Burrell, was a writer and journalist born on September 28, 1842, in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Albert Harper, one of the pioneers of the city of Oakland, California, where Harper and her family moved in 1851.

Growing up in Oakland, Harper faced numerous challenges including gun violence, disease outbreaks, and encounters with dangerous wildlife such as grizzly bears and rattlesnakes. At the age of twelve, Harper and her younger sister both contracted diphtheria during an epidemic, with her sister ultimately dying. Despite these challenges, she excelled academically and was known for her intelligence and love of reading. However, she also had a reputation for being rebellious and frequently clashed with her peers, teachers, and other adults due to her intolerance of what she saw as hypocrisy or snobbery.

At the age of fifteen, Harper married George Gibson, a 42-year-old businessman and acquaintance of her father, against her parents' wishes. However, Gibson's business struggles and resulting alcoholism led to him becoming abusive towards Harper, leading her to divorce him for "cruel and inhuman treatment" after around fourteen years of marriage. During the divorce proceedings, she also contracted typhoid pneumonia and severe rheumatism, which left her reliant on crutches for the rest of her life.