Louisa May Alcott, the second daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott
and Abigail "Abba" May was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on November 29, 1832. At an early age, Louisa and her family moved to Boston, Massachusetts where her father pursued his
teaching career by setting up the Temple School. Bronson Alcott was well
known for his controversial teaching methods which relied more on student
involvement and a belief that children should enjoy learning. In 1840 the family moved to Concord where prominent American
author and close friend of the Alcott's, Ralph Waldo Emerson, helped the family to set up residence. Louisa
enjoyed the county atmosphere of Concord and found her time divided
between acting out plays with her sisters which she had written, and nature
walks with Henry David Thoreau. In 1843 the Alcott family took part in an experimental
communal village known as the Fruitlands. Here
Bronson Alcott wished to further his beliefs in transcendentalism and bring his
daughters a greater understanding of nature. Unfortunately the project failed
and the family returned to Concord in 1845 taking up residence
at Hillside.
Unable to guarantee his family a steady income, Bronson
moved the Alcotts back to Boston in 1849. At this point,
Louisa began to feel more and more responsible for her family's financial needs and
started taking on as many jobs as a young girl could find. She began reading
for an elderly father and his invalid sister, but this eventually turned sour
when Louisa received next to nothing for her work. At the same time, Louisa and
her sister Anna took to teaching small children and mended and washed laundry
in an effort to help provide for the growing Alcott family. In 1852
Louisa's first poem, "Sunlight" was published in Peterson's magazine
under the pseudonym, Flora Fairfield. Although modest payment was
received, Louisa was beginning a career that would bring her great fame and end
her financial worries.
Three years later, in 1855, her first book, Flower Fables
was published. At this point, the Alcott family moved to Walpole, New Hampshire but Louisa stayed on in Boston to further her literary
career. Tragedy struck the family in 1856 when the third daughter, Lizzie, contracted scarlet
fever. Lizzie would recover for the time being but her illness forced the
Alcott's back to Concord where Emerson purchased Orchard House for the family. Lizzie's sickness returned
and she passed away on March 14. Yet happiness was soon to follow as Anna, the
oldest announced that she was to be married. Anna's wedding and Lizzie's death
forced Louisa to return to Concord house in 1857. She wished to help comfort her mother during
this time and try to help alleviate the lose of two
daughters.
Louisa saw that her loving heart was need by more than just her family and she headed
for Washington, DC. in 1862 to serve as a Civil War Nurse.
Like many other nurses, Louisa contracted typhoid fever and although she
recovered, she would suffer the poisoning effects of mercury (the doctors at
the time had used calomel, a drug laden with mercury to cure typhoid) for the
rest of her life. Her stay in Washington prompted Louisa to write Hospital
Sketches which was published in 1863 followed by Moods in 1864. At
this point Louisa's publisher, Thomas Niles, told her that he wanted "a girls story" from her. Having spent her life with three
of the most interesting girls, Louisa wrote furiously for two and a half months
and produced Little Women based on her own experiences growing up as a young women with three other sisters. The novel,
published September 30, 1868, was an instant success and
sold more than 2,000 copies immediately. In fact the country was so taken with
Louisa's story that her publisher begged for a second volume. April 14, 1869 saw the release of the second volume with a response of more
than 13,000 copies being sold immediately. Alcott's story of Meg, Jo, Beth, and
Amy had launched her into stardom and helped to alleviate the family's financial problems. Louisa
followed up her success with Old Fashioned Girl in 1870.
Needing a break, Louisa and her youngest sister May headed off
to Europe in 1870. The next few years, however, saw Alcott's career grow
and grow as book after book was published and enjoyed by a huge audience of
young readers. Little Men was published in 1871 followed by Work
in 1873, Eight Cousins in 1874, and Rose in Bloom in 1876. During
this time, Alcott became active in the women's suffrage movement, writing for
"The Woman's Journal" and canvassing door to door trying to encourage
women to register to vote. In 1879 Alcott became the first woman in Concord to register to vote in the
village's school committee election. Unfortunately, Abba's health was failing
and she passed in November of 1877.
Yet sorrow was not to last long in the Alcott family as May announced her
marriage to a wealthy European in 1878. May gave birth the following year, November 8, 1879 to Louisa May Nieriker. Sadly
complications arose, and May died December 29th of the same year. Her dying
wish was for Louisa to care for her namesake, Lulu. In 1880 Lulu moved to Boston with Louisa and helped to
bring joy and fulfillment to Alcott's life. In 1885 Louisa moved what remained
of her family into elegant Louisburg Square, Boston. Still writing as best as
she could, for the mercury poisoning she had received early in life was
beginning to take its toll, Louisa published Jo's Boys in 1886. Her
father's health finally failed and he passed March 4, 1888. Two days later, at the age of 56, Louisa May Alcott died in Boston, leaving a legacy in
wonderful books to be admired and cherished for generations to come.
Deborah Durbin
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