Author: Embury, Emma Catherine
Biography:
EMBURY, Emma Catherine, formerly Manley (1806-63: WBIS)
The daughter of a New York City doctor, James Manley, and Elizabeth (Post) Manley, she began contributing anonymously to the New York Mirror in her teens. In 1828 she married a New York banker, Daniel Embury (later President of the Atlantic Bank of Brooklyn), and lived in Brooklyn for the rest of her life. They had at least three children, two of whom are included as young men in their household in the 1860 New York Census but one of whom died in early childhood. Until serious illness made her an invalid in 1848, Mrs. Embury was a lively participant in literary salons, a regular contributor to periodicals, and a masthead name for Godey's Lady's Book, Graham's Magazine, and The Ladies' Companion--though DAB questions the extent of her involvement in these publications. Collections of her short stories appeared in the 1830s and 40s; her address "Female Education" became an anthology piece. Her reputation remained strong enough that her collected Poems appeared in 1869 and Selected Prose in 1893. (RPW; DAB; ancestry.com 15 Nov. 2018)
Other Names:
- Mrs. Embury