Elizabeth Susan MacLeod (23 February 1842 – 15 January 1939) was a Scottish-born Canadian poet, called the "Island Poetess" in reference to her adopted home, Prince Edward Island.

Elizabeth S. MacLeod
A white woman with dark hair dressed in an updo with short fringe, wearing a dark dress with a high lace-trimmed collar and a brooch fastened at the throat
Elizabeth S. MacLeod, from an 1893 publication
Born
Elizabeth Susan MacQueen

23 February 1842
Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K.
Died15 January 1939
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Other namesE. S. MacLeod
OccupationPoet

Early life and education

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Elizabeth Susan MacQueen was born in Edinburgh, the daughter of Martin MacQueen and Sophia (or Susan) E. Treherne MacQueen. She attended Bishop's School in Dundee.[1][2]

Career

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MacLeod was known as the "Island Poetess", for her strong identification with Prince Edward Island after immigrating to marry in 1878.[2][3] Her foray into historical fiction, Donalda (1905), was considered less successful than her patriotic poetry. "She has written some fair verse, but it is quite clear that she knows little of prose," commented a review in The Canadian Magazine.[4]

Publications

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  • Carols of Canada (1893, poetry) [5]
  • "Alexander MacKenzie" (1900, poem)[6]
  • For the Flag; or, Lays and Incidents of the South African War (1901, poetry and nonfiction)[7][8]
  • Donalda, A Scottish-Canadian Story (1905, novel)[9]
  • "The Olden Flag" (1907, poem)[10]

Personal life

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MacQueen married her second cousin, Alexander D. MacLeod, a customs official based on Prince Edward Island. They had sons Victor and Hugh. Her husband died in 1907,[2] and she died in 1939, at age 96, in Charlottetown.[11][12]

References

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  1. ^ Leonard, John W. (1976). Woman's who's who of America : a biographical dictionary of contemporary women of the United States and Canada, 1914-1915. Rutgers University Libraries. New York, American Commonwealth Co. Detroit, Gale Research Co. p. 528.
  2. ^ a b c Elizabeth Susan MacLeod. Canada’s Early Women Writers, 18 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Elizabeth Susan MacLeod". Modernist Commons. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  4. ^ "About New Books". The Canadian Magazine. 27 (4): 482. August 1906.
  5. ^ MacLeod, Elizabeth S. MacQueen (1899). Carols of Canada, Etc., Etc. Murley & Garnhum.
  6. ^ Rand, Theodore Harding (1900). A treasury of Canadian verse, with brief biographical notes;. The Library of Congress. New York, E. P. Dutton & co.; [etc., etc.] pp. 211–212.
  7. ^ "For the Flag: Or, Lays and Incidents of the South African War". Database of Canadian Early Women Writers. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  8. ^ MacLeod, Elizabeth S. For the Flag; or, Lays and Incidents in the South African War (1901), via Electric Scotland.
  9. ^ MacLeod, E. S. (Elizabeth Susan) (2012). Donalda; a Scottish-Canadian Story. HardPress. ISBN 978-1-290-77132-0.
  10. ^ "The Olden Flag". Aurora Banner. 1907-05-31. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-10-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Elizabeth S. MacLeod; Poet of Prince Edward Island Dies at the Age of 97" The New York Times (January 16, 1939): 15.
  12. ^ "Elizabeth Susan MacLeod". Database of Canadian Early Women Writers. Retrieved 2023-10-28.