Martha Finley

Martha Finley

Martha Finley (April 26, 1828 – January 30, 1909)^[1] was a teacher and author of numerous works, the most well known being the 28 volume Elsie Dinsmore series which was published over a span of 38 years. The daughter of Presbyterian minister Dr. James Brown Finley and his wife and cousin Maria Theresa Brown Finley, she was born on April 26, 1828, in Chillicothe, Ohio. Finley wrote many of her books under the pseudonym Martha Farquharson. She died in 1909 in Elkton, Maryland, where she moved in 1876.

List of publications

• Ella Clinton, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1856
• Aunt Ruth, Philadelphia, 1857
• Marion Harvie, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1857
• Annandale: A story of the times of the Covenanters, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1858
• Lame Letty, Philadelphia, 1859
• Mildred and Elsie, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1861
• Try: Better Do It, Than Wish It Done, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1863
• Little Joe Carter, The Cripple, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1864
• Mysie’s Work, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1864
• Willie Elton, The Little Boy Who Loved Jesus, Philadelphia, 1864
• Black Steve; or The Strange Warning, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1865
• Brookside Farm-House, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1865
• Hugo and Franz, Philadelphia, 1865
• Robert and Daisy, Philadelphia, 1865
• Allan’s Fault, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1866
• Elsie Dinsmore, Dodd, Mead, 1867
• Anna Hand, the Meddlesome Girl, Philadelphia, 1868
• Casella, Dodd, 1868
• Grandma Foster’s Sunbeam, Philadelphia, 1868
• Little Dick Positive, Philadelphia, 1868
• The Little Helper, 1868
• Little Patience, Philadelphia, 1868
• Loitering Linus, Philadelphia, 1868
• Maude’s Two Home, Philadelphia, 1868
• Millie, or The Little Girl Who Tried To Help Others and Do Them Good, Philadelphia, 1868
• Stupid Sally, the Poor-House Girl, Philadelphia, 1868
• Amy and Her Kitten, Philadelphia, 1870
• Betty Page, Philadelphia, 1970
• The Broken Basket, Philadelphia, 1870
• Jamie By the Lake, Philadelphia, 1870
• Rufus the Unready, Philadelphia, 1870
• The White Dress, Philadelphia, 1870
• An Old-Fashioned Boy, Evans, 1871
• Lilian; or, Did She Do It Right?, Evans, 1871
• Wanted—A Pedigree, Dodd, 1871
• Contented Jim, Philadelphia, 1872
• Honest Jim, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1872
• How Him Did It, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1872
• Noll in the Country, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1872
• Elsie’s Holidays at Roselands, Dodd, 1872
• Elsie’s Girlhood, Dodd, 1872
• The Twin Babies, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1872
• Our Fred, Donohue, 1874
• The Peddler of La Grave, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1875
• Aunt Hetty’s Fowls, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Elsie’s Motherhood, Dodd, 1876
• Harry and His Chickens, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry and His Cousins, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry At Aunt Jane’s, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry’s Christmas in the City, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry’s Fourth of July, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry’s Grandma, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry’s Little Sister, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry’s Ride With Papa, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Harry’s Walk With Grandma, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• The Pewit’s Nest, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Rosa and Robbie, Presbyterian Publications Board, 1876
• Mildred Keith, Dodd, 1876
• Elsie’s Children, Dodd, 1877
• Mildred At Roselands, Dodd, 1879
• Signing the Contract, Dodd, 1879
• Elsie’s Widowhood, Dodd, 1880
• Grandmother Elsie, Dodd, 1882
• Mildred’s Married Life, Dodd, 1882
• Elsie’s New Relations, Dodd, 1883
• Elsie At Nantucket, Dodd, 1884
• Elsie At the World’s Fair, Dodd, 1884
• Mildred At Home, Dodd, 1884
• The Two Elsies, Dodd, 1885
• Elsie’s Kith and Kin, Dodd, 1886
• Mildred’s Boys and Girls, Dodd, 1886
• The Thorn in the Nest, Dodd, 1886
• Elsie’s Friends At Woodburn, Dodd, 1887
• Christmas With Grandma Elsie, Dodd, 1888
• Elsie and the Raymonds, Dodd, 1889
• Elsie’s Widowhood, Routledge, 1889
• Elsie Yachting with the Raymonds, Dodd, 1890
• Elsie’s Vacation, Dodd, 1891
• Elsie At Viamede, Dodd, 1892
• Elsie At Ion, Dodd, 1893
• The Tragedy of Wild River Valley, Dodd, 1893
• Mildred’s New Daughter, Burt, 1894
• Elsie’s Journey on Inland Waters, Dodd, 1895
• Elsie At Home, Dodd, 1897
• Elsie on the Hudson and Elsewhere, Dodd, 1898
• Twiddledetwit, A Fairytale, Dodd, 1898
• Elsie in the South, Dodd, 1899
• Elsie’s Young Folks in Peace and War, Dodd, 1900
• Elsie's Womanhood, Dodd, 1901
• Elsie’s Winter Trip, Dodd, 1902
• Elsie and Her Loved Ones, Dodd, 1903
• Elsie and Her Namesakes, Dodd, 1905

List of books in the Elsie Dinsmore series

1. Elsie Dinsmore (1867) - online at Project Gutenberg
2. Elsie's Holidays at Roselands (1868) - online at Project Gutenberg
3. Elsie's Girlhood (1872) - online at Project Gutenberg
4. Elsie's Womanhood (1875) - online at Project Gutenberg
5. Elsie's Motherhood (1876) - online at Project Gutenberg
6. Elsie's Children (1877) - online at Project Gutenberg
7. Elsie's Widowhood (1880)
8. Grandmother Elsie (1882) - online at Project Gutenberg
9. Elsie's New Relations (1883) - online at Project Gutenberg
10. Elsie at Nantucket (1884) - online at Project Gutenberg
11. The Two Elsie's (1885) - online at Project Gutenberg
12. Elsie's Kith and Kin (1886) - online at Project Gutenberg
13. Elsie's Friends at Woodburn (1887)
14. Christmas with Grandma Elsie (1888) - online at Project Gutenberg
15. Elsie and the Raymonds (1889)
16. Elsie Yachting with the Raymonds (1890)
17. Elsie's Vacation (1891) - online at Project Gutenberg
18. Elsie at Viamede (1892)
19. Elsie at Ion (1893)
20. Elsie at the World's Fair (1894) - online at Project Gutenberg
21. Elsie's Journey on Inland Waters (1895)
22. Elsie at Home (1897) - online at Project Gutenberg
23. Elsie on the Hudson (1898)
24. Elsie in the South (1899)
25. Elsie's Young Folks (1900)
26. Elsie's Winter Trip (1902)
27. Elsie and Her Loved Ones (1903)
28. Elsie and Her Namesakes (1905)

List of books in Mildred Keith series

1. Mildred Keith(1876)
2. Mildred at Roselands(1880)
3. Mildred and Elsie(1881)
4. Mildred's Married Life, and a Winter with Elsie Dinsmore (1882)
5. Mildred at Home: With Something about her Relatives and Friends (1884)
6. Mildred's Boys and Girls(1886)
7. Mildred's New Daughter (1894)

References

1. "Miss Martha Finley (obituary)". The New York Times. January 31, 1909. Retrieved June 2, 2010.

External links

• Works by Martha Finley at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Martha Finley at Internet Archive
• Works by Martha Finley at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
• 19th Century Girls' Series
• The Literature Network biography of Martha Finley