Amelia Edith Barr was born at Ulverton, Lancashire, England, March 29,
1831. She was the daughter of the Rev. William Huddleston. Her mother’s
family were among the followers of the noted evangelist, George
Fox. She was educated in several good schools and colleges and was
graduated, at the age of nineteen, from Glasgow high school. In 1850
she was married to Robert Barr, son of a minister of the Scottish Free
Kirk. In 1854 Mr. and Mrs. Barr came to America, settling at Austin,
and later at Galveston, Texas. Her husband and three sons died in 1857
of yellow fever and Mrs. Barr was obliged to support herself and three
daughters with her pen. Two years after Mr. Barr’s death she came to
New York city and received immediate encouragement from Mr. Beecher,
of the Christian Union, and Robert Bonner, of the New York Ledger. She
taught school for two years, meanwhile writing various sketches and
miscellaneous articles for magazines and newspapers. The work which
gave her the greatest fame, “A Bow of Orange Ribbon,” appeared in
serial form in the Ledger. Since 1884 she has devoted her time almost
entirely to the writing of novels and short stories.