Emma Marshall (1830–1899) was an English children's author who wrote more than 200 novels.
Life
She was the youngest daughter of Simon Martin, a partner in Gurney's Norwich bank, who was married, at St Michael-at-Plea, Norwich, in 1809, Hannah (Ransome), a quakeress.
She was born at Northrepps Hill House, near Cromer, in 1830.
The family soon moved to Norwich. Miss Martin has depicted her early childhood very faithfully in one of her first stories, The Dawn of Life (1867).
She was educated at a private school until the age of sixteen.
The proximity of Norwich Cathedral and its precincts strongly influenced her subsequent line of thought.
When as a girl she read Longfellow's Evangeline, she was very impressed with it that she wrote to the poet, and thus began a correspondence that lasted until her death.
In 1849, she left Norwich with her mother to live at Clifton, Bristol, where acquaintance with Dr. Addington Symonds gave them a passport to the society of the place.
She began to write from a desire to amuse and instruct young people when she settled at Clifton. Her first story, Happy Days at Fernbank, was published in 1861.
Between that date and her death, she wrote over two hundred stories.
This enormous production was stimulated by heavy losses in 1878, when the failure of the West of England bank not only swept away her husband's income and position, but involved him as a shareholder in certain liabilities.
These Mrs. Marshall cleared off with indefatigable courage.
Marshall died at home in Clifton on 4 May 1899 from Pneumonia, and was buried on 9 March in the cemetery of Long Ashton.
