Alden, Isabella MacDonald (1841-1930)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1930 Oct 8 p. 1

Birth date: 1841

text of obituary:

"Pansy," Noted Authoress, Dead

A vast number of people have read the "Pansy" books, which have been translated into French, Armenian, Scandinavian and Japanese. During a long career she has written one hundred an twenty books that have been published. Her name was Mrs. Isabella MacDonald Alden. She was born in Rochester, N. Y., in 1841, and lived until August 4 of this year. "Pansy" dad written for publication during eighty-one of her eighty-nine years, for she was but eight years old when her first story signed by her pet name, "Pansy," was printed in a Gloversville, N. Y., newspaper. At the age of seventeen, while a pupil-teacher she wrote a story which received a prize offered by the Western tract Society.

In 1866, she was married to Rev. Gustavus R. Alden, a Presbyterian clergyman, who died in 1904. They had one son, who died some years ago.

For twenty-six years Mrs. Alden edited a juvenile periodical called "Pansy." Throughout her long life she was a devoted Christian and church worker, and in her writings tried to reach the young with Christian teaching. Four years ago she was incapacitated by two accidents, but bravely continued writing and her autobiographical volume, "Memories of Yesterday," is soon to appear. Here was a beautiful character, and her influence for good reached many hundreds of thousands. Her funeral was held in the First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, California, in which city she died.