DICKINSON, Emily Elizabeth^[1]

1830 - 1886  (55 years)

• Name	DICKINSON, Emily Elizabeth
  Birth	10 Dec 1830	Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusett, USA   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Burial	May 1886	West Cemetery, Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA   [2, 3]
  Death	15 May 1886	Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA   [1]
  	Poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, the first daughter of three children, her father served in the General Court of Massachusetts and later in the United States House of Representatives. Raised in a strict puritanical Massachusetts in a Christian tradition, she would later challenge her parents' beliefs. She attended Amherst Academy, and later, South Hadley Female Seminary (now Mount Holyoke College). She was considered shy in the presence of strangers, and quit college in 1848 after only one year, to return to Amherst. She never married, and had only a few deep relationships with others, preferring the life of a recluse in her father's house. After college, and for the rest of her entire life, she only left Amherst four times, for quick trips to Philadelphia, Washington DC, or to Boston. During one of trips, she met Reverend Charles Wadsworth and Thomas W. Higginson, men who would greatly influence her poetry. Like Emily, Wadsworth was a solitary, romantic person, and he and Dickinson shared much in common. They would often write each other, sharing their world, and scholars commonly believe that he was her point of interest in her love poems. In 1862, she desired to publish her poems, and obtained advise from Thomas Higginson, who counseled her against publishing. As a result, only seven of her poems were ever published in her lifetime. As her family and friends began to pass away (in the 1870s and 1880s), her poetry turned more to themes of death. She went into near total seclusion after her father's death in 1874, gaining the local nickname of the "Nun of Amherst." Her health began to deteriorate in 1884, and she passed away in May 1886. After her death, it was determined that she had written a total of 1,775 poems, and they were arranged into four groups, bearing on their themes: Friends, Nature, Love, and Death. Her sister, Lavinia, arranged for her poems to be published posthumously, but the full range of her work was not published until 1955. Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson [4]
  Age	55 years
  Person ID	P2351	Dutton Ancestry
  Last Modified	30 Mar 2023

  
  

  Father	DICKINSON, Edward           b. 1 Jan 1803, Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusett, USA           d. 16 Jun 1874, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA (Age 71 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	NORCROSS, Emily           b. 23 Jun 1804, Monson, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA           d. 14 Nov 1882, Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA (Age 78 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Marriage	6 Mar 1828	Monson, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA   [2]
  Age at Marriage	He : 25 years and 2 months - She : 23 years and 9 months.
  Children	1. DICKINSON, Emily Elizabeth           b. 10 Dec 1830, Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusett, USA           d. 15 May 1886, Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA  (Age 55 years)
  Family ID	F5601	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 10 Dec 1830 - Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusett, USA Burial - May 1886 - West Cemetery, Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA Death - 15 May 1886 - Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA  = Link to Google Earth
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• Notes

  An American poet. Little known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Evidence suggests that Dickinson lived much of her life in isolation. Considered an eccentric by locals, she developed a penchant for white clothing and was known for her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even to leave her bedroom. Dickinson never married, and most friendships between her and others depended entirely upon correspondence. - My 6th Cousin 3X Removed [2]

  
  

• Sources

  [S126] Family Members. [S141] Familysearch.org. [S50] Findagrave.com. Maintained by: Find a Grave Added: 25 Apr 1998 Find a Grave Memorial #282 [S50] Findagrave.com.