Emily Elizabeth Shaw Beavan facts for kids

Emily Elizabeth Shaw Beavan was a talented writer from the 1800s. She was born in Ireland and wrote many poems and stories. Emily lived in several different countries, including Canada, England, and Australia.

Emily's Early Life and Travels

Emily Elizabeth Shaw was born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1818. Her father, Samuel Shaw, was a Master Mariner. This meant he sailed ships between Canada and Ireland often. Emily had at least two sisters and two brothers.

In 1836, Emily and her family moved to New Brunswick, Canada. She continued her schooling there. On September 18, 1837, she earned her teacher's licence in King's County. At that time, she was teaching in a place called Norton.

Marriage and First Writings

Emily married Frederick Williams Cadwalleder Beavan on June 19, 1838. Her husband was a local surgeon and also a teacher. They first lived in Long Creek, New Brunswick. Later, they moved to Mount Auburn, English Settlement.

While living in Mount Auburn, Emily started writing for a new newspaper called Amaranth. She wrote stories and poems for the paper. She didn't use a secret pen name. Instead, she signed her work as Mrs B----n or Emily B----n. This was a common way for writers to sign their names back then.

Moving to England and Australia

In 1842, Emily asked for a teacher's licence for Queens County. However, her family moved again in 1843. They sailed to England because her husband's father had passed away. This allowed her husband to become a surgeon at the Derwent Mines in Blanchland, Northumberland.

While living in England, Emily published her first book in 1845. It was called Sketches and tales illustrative of life in the backwoods of New Brunswick, North America. This book shared stories about life in the Canadian wilderness.

The family did not stay in England for long. In 1852, they moved once more, this time to Kilmore, Melbourne, Australia. In Australia, Emily continued to write. She wrote for Eliza Cook's Journal and various local newspapers.

Emily's husband passed away in 1867. In 1881, Emily moved to Sydney to live with her son. She died there on August 6, 1897. Emily was buried in an unmarked grave at Rookwood Cemetery. However, a memorial was placed on her husband's grave in Kilmore General Cemetery.