Caroline Lee Hentz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Caroline Lee Whiting
Born	June 1, 1800 Lancaster, Massachusetts U.S.
Died	February 11, 1856(1856-02-11) (aged 55) Marianna, Florida U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Educator novelist writer (sentimental fiction)
Notable work	De Lara; or, The Moorish Bride
Spouse(s)	Nicholas Marcellus Hentz (married 30 September 1824)
Children	Marcellus Fabius (1825–1827) Charles Arnould (1827–1894) Julia Louisa (1829–1877) Thaddeus William Harris(1830–1878) Caroline Therese (1833–1904)

Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz (born June 1, 1800, in Lancaster, Massachusetts – died February 11, 1856, in Marianna, Florida) was an American writer. She was known for her novels, especially those that shared a Southern perspective on life in the United States. Her famous book, The Planter's Northern Bride (1854), was a response to Harriet Beecher Stowe's popular anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852).

Early Life and Family

Caroline Lee Whiting was born on June 1, 1800, in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Her parents were Colonel John and Orpah Whiting. She was the youngest of eight children. Her family was very patriotic. Her father fought in the Revolutionary War, and three of her brothers fought in the War of 1812.

As a child, Caroline went to a private school. By the time she was twelve, she had already written a fantasy story and a play! When she was seventeen, she started teaching at a local school in Lancaster.

On September 30, 1824, Caroline married Nicholas Marcellus Hentz. Soon after, they moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Her husband became a professor at the university there. Caroline was from the North but lived and worked in the South for almost thirty years. She lived in seven different states and had five children. She also helped support her family financially with her writing.

Life as a Writer and Teacher

Caroline Hentz was a talented writer from a young age. In 1831, she wrote a play called De Lara; or, The Moorish Bride. This play won a prize and was performed in theaters in Philadelphia and Boston in 1842. It was published as a book in 1843.

In March 1832, she published her first short story, "The Sacrifice," in Godey's Lady's Book. This was a very popular magazine for women at the time. She also wrote other plays, like Constance of Werdenberg and Lamorah; or, the Western Wild, which were performed in different cities.

Caroline and her husband moved many times because her husband opened schools. In 1830, they opened a girls' school in Covington, Kentucky. Later, they opened another school in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1832. While in Cincinnati, Caroline met Harriet Beecher Stowe, another famous writer.

While living in North Carolina, Mrs. Hentz helped George Moses Horton. He was an enslaved poet who could not read or write. Caroline wrote down his poems and sent them to newspapers. This helped Horton start his career as a poet. He became known as the "Black bard of North Carolina."

The Hentz family moved to Florence, Alabama, where they opened another school. Caroline spent a lot of time caring for her family. She wrote poetry and kept a diary during this time. These writings later inspired her novels.

They continued to move and open schools in places like Tuscaloosa, Alabama (1843) and Tuskegee (1845). In 1848, they opened a school in Columbus, Georgia.

In 1849, her husband became ill. Caroline had to take on the full responsibility of supporting her family through her writing. She wrote many books while also caring for her husband. In 1852, they moved to Marianna, Florida, to be closer to their adult children.

Her Books and Ideas

After she stopped teaching, Caroline Hentz focused more on her writing. From 1850 to 1856, she wrote many stories and seven more novels.

One of her most famous novels was The Planter's Northern Bride, published in 1854. This book was written as a response to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. Uncle Tom's Cabin showed the harsh realities of slavery and encouraged people to oppose it. Caroline Hentz's novel, The Planter's Northern Bride, was part of a group of books called anti-Tom literature. These books presented a different view, often showing Southern life and slavery in a more positive light from their perspective.

In her novel, The Planter's Northern Bride, Hentz created characters who tried to free enslaved people against their will. She wanted to show that not all efforts to end slavery were helpful or well-intentioned. She also suggested that some people who wanted to end slavery were motivated by personal gain, not just a desire to help others. She connected these ideas to the industrial changes happening in the North at the time.

Caroline Hentz's last novel, Ernest Linwood, was published on February 11, 1856.

Achievements

Caroline Hentz's play, De Lara; or, The Moorish Bride, won a competition. The Boston Library even named her one of the top three writers of her time! Another one of her works, The Mob Cap, won a $200 prize and was praised by critics.

Primary Works

• Lamorah; or, the Western Wild (play, 1832)
• Constance of Werdenberg; or, The Forest League (play, 1832)
• Lovell's Folly (1833)
• De Lara; or, The Moorish Bride (play, 1843)
• "Human and Divine Philosophy: A Poem Written for the Erosophic Society of the University of Alabama" (1844)
• Aunt Patty's Scrap-bag (1846)
• Linda; or, The Young Pilot of the Belle Creole (1850)
• Rena; or, The Snow Bird (1851)
• Eoline; or, Magnolia Vale; or, The Heiress of Glenmore (1852)
• Marcus Warland; or, The Long Moss Spring (1852)
• The Banished Son and Other Stories of the Heart (1852)
• Helen and Arthur; or, Miss Thusa's Spinning Wheel (1853)
• The Victim of Excitement, The Bosom Serpent, etc. (1853)
• Wild Jack; or, The Stolen Child, and Other Stories (1853)
• "The Hermit of Rockrest" (1853)
• The Planter's Northern Bride (1854)
• Courtship and Marriage; or, The Joys and Sorrows of American Life (1856)
• Ernest Linwood; or, The Inner Life of the Author (1856)
• Love After Marriage and Other Stories of the Heart (1857)
• The Lost Daughter and Other Stories of the Heart (1857)
• Robert Graham

Later Life and Death

After almost five years of supporting her family and caring for her sick husband, Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz died of pneumonia on February 11, 1856. Her husband, Nicholas Hentz, passed away a few months later. They are buried together in the Episcopal Cemetery in Marianna, Florida.

See also

In Spanish: Caroline Lee Hentz para niños