Mary Johnston

Born on November 21, 1870, Johnston grew up in Buchanan, Virginia. A frail child taught at home, Johnston made the most of her learning by spending many hours reading and writing in her father's library. Because her father invested his money wisely, Johnston didn't need a husband to support her financially, and thus chose to never marry. Instead she threw herself into writing.

Johnston's first novel published in 1898 Prisoners of Hope centered on life in Colonial Virginia. This historical fiction book combining history and romance and her next novel To Have and To Hold gained her much publicity and fame. So popular were her books that To Have and To Hold was printed serially in The Atlantic Monthly and was made into silent films in 1918 and 1922. Two other novels found their way into silent films. In total, Johnston penned twenty-three novels, numerous short stories, one play, and two narrative poems, most of which was also published in Canada and England.

Using her fame as a means to get her voice heard, Johnston spoke in defense of women's suffrage. In Alabama, suffrage speakers dodged bricks and rocks thrown by men opposed to women's voting rights. When she came out blatantly supporting women's rights in her book Hagar, her popularity decreased as men stopped buying her books for their wives to read. Over time her book sales decreased and fewer books were printed. Today Johnston's later novels can be a rare find. She passed away on May 9, 1936.