Anna Chapin Ray

Anna Chapin Ray (January 3, 1865 – December 13, 1945) was an American writer.

Biography

Born in Westfield, Massachusetts, she was the daughter of Edward Addison Ray and Helen M. (Chapin). In 1881 she was one of the first three women to take the Yale University entrance exam. She studied at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts where she received a B.A. in 1885 and an M.A. in modern European history in 1888.

Beginning in 1889, Anna became a prolific author; her works included many children's books, but she also published adult novels. She wrote during the summer in New Haven, Connecticut, then spent the winter in Quebec. Most of her works were written using the pseudonym Sidney Howard. From 1916 until 1920 she served at the Military Hospitals Commission in Ottawa. She was supervisor of the stenographic bureau in the Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment. Her older brother Nathaniel (1858–1917) was a mining engineer and a California state legislator. The two frequently corresponded.

In October 1945 she had a hip fracture and was admitted to the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, Connecticut. After being moved to a convalescent hospital, she died December 13, 1945.