William Pinkney Ewing, son of Patrick Ewing, was born May 28, 1828, on
his father's farm near Rowlandville. He is a brother of Edwin E. Ewing,
a sketch of whose life is published in this book, and to which the
reader is referred for other information respecting the family. Mr.
Ewing's early life was spent on his father's farm. When about eighteen
years of age he commenced to write poetry, the first of which was
published in the Philadelphia _Dollar Newspaper_. He was subsequently a
frequent contributor to the _Ladies' Garland_, the _Cecil Whig_ and
_Cecil Democrat_. In 1848, Mr. Ewing commenced the study of the law in
the office of the late John C. Groome in Elkton, and was admitted to the
Elkton Bar, April 10, 1851. In 1853 he removed to Cincinnati, and became
connected with the editorial department of the _Daily Atlas_ of that
city, and contributed editorially and otherwise to several other papers
in Cincinnati, until the _Atlas_ was merged into the _Gazette_. He then
accepted a position on the _Southern Lady's Book_, published in New
Orleans and remained in that city until the magazine changed
proprietors. Mr. Ewing returned to Elkton in 1855, and resumed the
practice of his profession, but continued to write poetry occasionally
for some years afterwards. In 1871 Mr. Ewing removed to Ashtabula, Ohio,
and has since been connected with newspapers in Chicago, Topeka and
other western cities; and has corresponded occasionally with the New
York _Tribune_, New York _Evening Post_ and _Chicago Tribune_.
In politics Mr. Ewing was originally a Democrat, but in 1850 became a
member of the Free Soil party, and an elector on the Free Soil ticket in
1856. He was a delegate to the Chicago convention that nominated Lincoln
in 1860, and also an elector for the State of Maryland on the Lincoln
ticket the same year. In 186l Mr. Ewing was appointed United States
Naval Agent for the port of Baltimore, and held the position until the
office was abolished in 1865.
In September 1863 he married Mrs. Emma P. Smith, a lady of fine literary
taste and ability who is at this time the head of the cooking school of
the State Agricultural College of Iowa.
Like many other writers Mr. Ewing took no pains to preserve his poems
and it was only after the expenditure of great labor and much trouble
that the following meagre selection was made, which it is feared will
not do full justice to the ability of their author.