Anna Balmer Myers
Anna Balmer Myers | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 11, 1884 Manheim, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | April 7, 1972 (aged 87) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Fairview Cemetery, Manheim, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, teacher |
| Period | 1920–1968 (as a writer) |
Anna Balmer Myers was an American author of novels and poetry featuring the local color of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.[1] In addition to her writing career Myers spent more than 35 years teaching at a Philadelphia school for physically disabled students.[2]
Early life[edit]
Myers was born October 11, 1884, in Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the daughter of John B. and Lizzie Balmer Myers. After graduating from Manheim public schools she attended Drexel University.[3] She taught at the Widener School for Crippled Children (now Widener Memorial School) in Philadelphia.[2]
Writing life[edit]
Myers wrote about the Plain people of Lancaster County. Her first three novels were Patchwork: a Story of the Plain People (1920), Amanda: a Daughter of the Mennonites (1921), and The Madonna of the Curb (1922).[4] Her published poetry collections were Rain on the Roof (1931) and Late Harvest. In 1968, when she was 82 years old, Myers’ novel I Lift My Lamp was published. This final novel incorporated Balmer family history into the story of Henry William Stiegel and the founding of his glassworks in Manheim.[3]
Personal life[edit]
Myers was an expert on glassmaker Henry William Stiegel, and she gave lectures on Stiegel and his time period. In 1934 she was a member of the General Committee that helped erect a memorial to Stiegel in Manheim, Pennsylvania.[5]
She was a member of both the National Society Daughters of the American Colonists, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.[3]
Myers died in Philadelphia on April 7, 1972. She is buried at Fairview Cemetery, Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.[2] Myers was the last member of her immediate family.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ Martin, Harry & Klein, John, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a History, page 963, The University of Virginia, 1924
- ^ a b c Anna Myers, Teacher, Author, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 10, 1972, page 18
- ^ a b c d Anna Myers, Author and Poet Dies, Sunday News (Lancaster, PA), April 9, 1972, page 2
- ^ Smith, Geoffrey D., American Fiction, 1901 - 1925: A Bibliography , page 487, Cambridge University Press, 1997
- ^ "Dedication of the Memorial to Henry William Stiegel" (PDF).
External links[edit]
