Sarah Farro facts for kids
Sarah E. Farro was an African American writer from the 1800s. She wrote only one book, called True Love: A Story of English Domestic Life. It was published in 1891 in Chicago.
Sarah Farro was one of the few African Americans who published a novel in the 1800s. Not much is known about her life. Records show she was born in Illinois in 1859. Her parents moved to Chicago from the Southern United States. She also had two younger sisters.
Farro published her novel True Love when she was 26 years old. Newspapers at the time said it was the first novel by an African American woman. The book is a love story set in England. It tells about a man who cannot marry the woman he loves because of her mother. Sarah Farro enjoyed reading books by Oliver Wendell Holmes, William Makepeace Thackeray, and Charles Dickens.
After her book came out, newspapers in the United States and the United Kingdom praised it. Her novel was even shown at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. It was part of a display of 58 books by women writers from Illinois. In 1937, Sarah Farro was honored at an event in Chicago. She was celebrated as one of the city's "outstanding race pioneers." It is thought that she did not write another novel. We do not know when she died.
Contents
Growing Up
Her Family and Childhood
Sarah E. Farro was born in Jefferson County, Illinois in 1859. Her parents were John Farro and Jemima "Jane" Jane. We do not know how her parents met. We also do not know if they were enslaved before. They moved from the South to Chicago before Sarah, their oldest child, was born.
Sarah was the oldest of three children. She had two younger sisters named Alvira and Ammie. The Farro family lived in Avondale, a neighborhood in Chicago. They were a middle-class family. They owned their own home, which her father's income supported.
We do not know much about Sarah Farro's education. However, after her novel True Love: A Story of English Domestic Life was published, people described her as "a woman of good education."
Later Years
Community Involvement
Sarah E. Farro was part of the Old Settlers Club. This club was started in 1943. Its goal was to honor the first families who settled in Chicago. It also aimed to keep their history alive. The Farro family was part of this club because Sarah was born in the city. In 1937, the Old Settlers Club recognized Sarah Farro. They honored her as an "old settler" and the writer of True Love.
Her Passing
The exact date and cause of Sarah Farro's death are not known. We also do not know if she ever married. She kept her last name, Farro. She remained a respected person in Chicago's Black community for many years.
True Love: A Story of English Domestic Life
What the Book is About
True Love: A Story of English Domestic Life is Sarah Farro's only known novel. It is set in a different version of England. It is a romance novel. The story is about a rich man named Charles Taylor. He faces problems trying to marry Janey, who is from a middle-class family. Janey's mother, Mrs. Brewster, tries to stop them from marrying.
How it Was Published
Many people thought True Love was the first novel written by an African American woman. This was true for both the United States and Britain. The book was copyrighted in 1891. It started to get worldwide attention and publicity in 1892. Farro's novel gained fame because it focused on her race.
Why the Book is Important
Farro's novel was seen as one of the first books by an African American woman. It was one of the first works in the 1800s to be printed, shared, and talked about. This was special because it was written by a Black female author.
