The Biographical Dictionary of America/Austin, Jane Goodwin

AUSTIN, Jane Goodwin, author, was born at Worcester, Mass., Feb. 25, 1831, daughter of Isaac Goodwin, lawyer, antiquary and genealogist. Her mother was a poet and song-writer, and a lover of traditions and anecdotes, and many of the stories embodied in Mrs. Austin's later works were first heard at her mother's knee. Both of her parents were descended from Mayflower pilgrims. Possibly no other writer has done as much as she to keep fresh in the minds of succeeding generations the customs and traditions of the Pilgrim Fathers. How thoroughly she understood the Puritan character is shown in her four latest works: "The Nameless Nobleman" (1881, 1889); "Standish of Standish" (1899); "Dr. Le Baron and His Daughters" (1890). and "Betty Alden" (1891), which cover the period from the landing of the pilgrims in 1620 to the revolution in 1775. At the time of her death she was working on a fifth volume, which was to complete the series. The "Nameless Nobleman" in the book bearing that title was Francois Le Baron, the great-grandfather of her mother. Other books of her composition are: "Fairy Dreams" (1859); "Dora Darling" (1865); "Outpost: a Novel" (1866); "Tailor Boy" (1867); "Cypher" (1869); "The Shadow of Moloch Mountain" (1870); "Moon Folk: a True Account of the Home of the Fairy Tales" (1874): "Mrs. Beauchamp Brown" (1880); "Nantucket Scraps" (1882), and "The Desmond Hundred," Round Robin Series (1882). In addition to these works she wrote a great number of stories and some poems for the leading magazines and newspapers. She died in Boston, Mass., March, 30, 1894.