Annie Matheson facts for kids

Annie Matheson (1853–1924) was a British poet who lived during the Victorian era. She is famous for writing one of the first life stories (biographies) of Florence Nightingale. She also wrote many books of thoughtful and emotional poems. Her poems often focused on life's moral and spiritual lessons. Because of this, many Christian groups liked her work. Annie Matheson strongly believed in helping people who were poor and fighting against unfairness in society. She hoped her writing would lead to positive changes. She also wrote short essays and biographies for different magazines and newspapers of her time. Even though she published many books, we don't have a lot of detailed information about her own life.

Who Was Annie Matheson?

Annie Matheson was born in Blackheath, Kent, England, on March 29, 1853. Her father, Rev. James Matheson, was a Congregationalist minister in Nottingham. Her mother was Elizabeth Cripps. Annie was the older sister to Percy Ewing Matheson and had nine other brothers and sisters.

Her Early Life and Family

Annie was taught at home in Nottingham. There, she discovered her love for writing and started contributing to literary newspapers and magazines. Her family was very religious, and this strong faith clearly shaped her views and her writing. Her work showed both a selfless spirit and strong confidence. Even though she came from a large family, Annie Matheson never married or had children. In 1911, the England Census recorded her living at age fifty-eight in Woking, Surrey. She was listed as the head of her household and worked in literature and journalism.

What Did Annie Matheson Write?

Annie Matheson published her first book when she was thirty-seven years old. It was called The Religion of Humanity and Other Poems (1890). In 1899, she released Selected Poems Old and New. This book was a collection of her most popular shorter poems.

Her Focus on Faith and Society

Many of her early writings showed her strong religious faith and her appreciation for the beauty of God's creation. Later, her writing changed. In her book Leave of Prose...With Two Studies by May Sinclair (1912), she started to write more about social issues. She explored ideas about hard work and knowledge.

Writing for Young Readers

Annie Matheson also wrote for children. She wanted them to understand the power of faith. One of her books for young readers was The Story of a Brave Child: A Child's Life of Joan of Arc (1910).

Her Famous Biography of Florence Nightingale

One of her most well-known books is Florence Nightingale: A biography (1913). In this 374-page book, Matheson described Florence Nightingale's greatest achievement: creating modern nursing. She wrote about Nightingale's kind reasons and tireless efforts during the Crimean War to care for injured British soldiers. Readers learned how Nightingale worked to improve cleanliness and set up public healthcare in Britain.

Her Later Works

After writing about Florence Nightingale, Matheson went back to writing books for children. She started a series called "Rose and Dragon." One book in this series was A Plain Friend (1920). However, she passed away on March 16, 1924, in London, before she could finish the series.