- James Parton
James Parton (
February 9 ,1822 –October 17 ,1891 ) was an England-born American biographer.Biography
Parton was born in
Canterbury , England in 1822. He was taken to the United States when he was five years old, studied in New York City and White Plains, New York, and was a schoolmaster in Philadelphia and then in New York. He moved toNewburyport, Massachusetts , where he died onOctober 17 ,1891 .Parton was the most popular biographer of his day in America. His most important books are "Life of
Horace Greeley " (1855), "Life and Times ofAaron Burr " (1857), "Life ofAndrew Jackson " (1859–1860), "Life and Times ofBenjamin Franklin " (1864), "Life ofThomas Jefferson " (1874), and "Life ofVoltaire " (1881). Among his other publications are "General Butler in New Orleans" (1863), "Famous Americans of Recent Times" (1867), "The Peoples Book of Biography" (1868); "Noted Women of Europe and America" (1883), and "Captains of Industry" (two series, 1884 and 1891), for young people.His first wife, Sara (1811–1872), sister of
Nathaniel Parker Willis , and widow ofCharles H. Eldredge (d. 1846), attained considerable popularity as a writer under the pen-nameFanny Fern . They were married in 1856. Her works include the novels, "Ruth Hall " (1854), reminiscent of her own life, and "Rose Clark" (1857); and several volumes of sketches and stories. In 1876 Parton marriedEllen Willis Eldredge , his first wife's daughter by her first husband, Charles Eldredge. His adopted daughter, Ethel, the daughter ofGrace Eldrege (Fanny Fern's daughter) and writerMortimer Thomson (also known as Philander Doesticks), was adopted by Parton in 1872, and she later adopted Parton's last name.Ethel Parton became a famous writer of children's books about 19th century life in Newburyport, MA, published in the 1930s and 1940s. James and Ellen had two children, Hugo and Mabel. Hugo's children (James Parton's actual grandchildren) were James Parton and Niké (pronounced Ni-KAY, not like the shoes) Parton. James Parton(1912-2001) was founder and publisher ofAmerican Heritage andHorizon Magazine s.Niké Parton (1922-2005) was a prominent Florida artist.References
External links
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* http://www.answers.com/topic/parton-james
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