September 4

The Cary Sisters

Alice and Phoebe Cary were beloved sister poets of the Victorian Age.
Raised on a farm in Ohio- New York City became their home.
Their salon was visited by the great writers of the day-Edgar
Allen Poe adored them. Alice was recognized during her career but
"History and Time" lean toward Phoebe for her wit and feeling of her poetry.
Both wrote poetry and published in the great magazines and newspapers of the day: "Harper's", "The Atlantic Monthly", and "Boston Newspaper" to name a few.
It was the publishing of their first book of poetry in 1850,
and the success of this book gave them the means to move to New York City.
Phoebe and Alice supported Susan B. Anthony. Phoebe so much she
acted as assistant editor for the suffrage magazine, "The Revolution".
The sisters died within five months of each other. First Alice, whose illness
which lasted for years, took its toll on Phoebe. Friends were so concerned
for Phoebe after Alice died-they sent her the the seaside in Rhode Island. But, it is thought that the mosquito's gave her malaria. And alas, Phoebe died in Rhode Island.