Draft:Mary Elizabeth Strong Worthington

• Comment: Also, ancestrylibrary.com is not a reliable source and shouldn't be used as a reference. Utopes _{(talk / cont)} 20:07, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

• Comment: The article contains unclosed "ref" tags. Nearly every source in the References section is written by Worthington. Please incorporate secondary, independent, reliable sources into the article which significantly cover the subject. Utopes _{(talk / cont)} 20:06, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

• Comment: Well done on creating a draft - I would suggest following our referencing tutorial at WP:INTREFVE in order to format your references properly. Currently they are external links which isn't quite how we reference on Wikipedia. That tutorial will guide you how to reference correctly. Qcne (talk) 13:49, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

---

Mary Elizabeth Strong Worthington
Born	October 5, 1851 Rushville, New York, U.S.
Died	October 2, 1916 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Author
Children	Robert Strong Worthington Sr., Arthur St. Clair Worthington, Nellie Eleanor Strong Worthington, & Howard Padelford Worthington

Mary Elizabeth Bessie Strong Worthington (October 5th, 1851- October 2nd, 1916), commonly referred to as Elizabeth Strong Worthington, was an author of seven books and a women’s rights advocate. Worthington published her first three books under the pseudonym or pin name Giff A. Nicolas in 1888 and 1889. Her 1890 book How to Cook Husbands is arguably the most widely known, with a satirical and humorous tone about marriage.

Mary was born in Rushville, New York, to parents Malinda Padelford Fales and George Perine Strong along with her four other siblings, Laura Fales Strong, Sarah Clark Strong,George Arthur Strong, and Ellie Clark Nellie Strong. In 1882, she married Arthur Woods Worthington at the age of 31. They had four children- Robert, Arthur, Nellie, and Howard before they divorced. Mary died on October 2nd, 1916 due to intestinal cancer in Los Angeles, California.

Biography

Early Life

Mary Elizabeth Bessie Strong was born in Rushville, New York on October 5, 1851. She was the fourth of five children born to Malinda Padelford Fales and George Perine Strong. Her father studied at Hamilton College but dropped out before graduating and moved on to teaching before marrying Malinda. He then attended law school and became a lawyer, practicing in Missouri while Malinda stayed at home caring for their family.

Mary had two older sisters, Laura and Sarah, and one older brother, George. Her older sister Sarah passed on March 30, 1845, at just two weeks old, so Mary never met her. On June 14, 1856, when Mary was four years old, her sister Ellie Clark Nellie Strong was born. Mary and her family resided in St. Louis, Missouri, from when she was nine years old until she was 29. There are no records of Mary’s education, but an 1870 census marked her, George, Ellen, and Sarah’s occupation as “school.”

Adult Life

On December 27, 1882, Mary married Arthur Woods Worthington in Evanston, Cook, Illinois. Mary was 31 years old at the time while Arthur was 24. On December 17, 1883, just one year into their marriage, they had their first child Robert Strong Worthington. Two years later, in February of 1885, she gave birth to their second son Arthur St. Clair Worthington. On November 3, 1888, Mary gave birth to their first daughter, Nellie Eleanor Strong Worthington, naming her after her sister Ellie Clark Nellie. On December 15, 1889, Mary gave birth to their fourth and last child Howard Padelford Worthington. The family resided in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota throughout the birth of all of their children.

On January 22, 1895, Mary’s mother, Malinda, passed away while still residing in St. Louis, Missouri. Sometime after 1889, Mary and Arthur divorced, and Arthur remarried on December 24, 1897. Then, just five years following her mother’s death, her father, George, passed away on October 16, 1890. Mary then moved to Monterey, California with her four children around 1900 and remained in the state of California for the remainder of her life.

Out of all her children, Arthur was the only one who did not outlive Mary. He passed away at the age of 29 on November 27, 1914, in Los Angeles, California just two years before Mary passed. However, two years prior to his death, Arthur and his wife had a child, Robert, who became Mary's first grandchild and the only one she would live to meet. The rest of her children went onto live long lives. Robert enlisted in the army and had two children, Howard became an engineer, and Nellie became a stenographer with two children.

Career

Worthington published her first book, When Peggy Smiled: a Love Story and The Biddy Club, in 1888 with the publishing company A.C. McClurg and Company. The following year, in 1889, she released The Little Brown Dog: A Tale of the Presidio, published through Cubery company in California. The next year, in 1890, she went through the Dodge Publishing Company to release her next book, How to Cook Husbands.

Death

On October 2nd, 1916, news that Elizabeth Worthington had passed due to carcinoma, intestinal cancer, spread across the Los Angeles area in which she resided. And while her words could no longer be audibly heard, her voice remained apparent, and led her to become a legacy and pioneer for female authors and feminist ideologies.

Her literary contributions to the American Renaissance can be noted throughout her new perspectives and ideologies of the time period. Those literary contributions seemingly followed her until the end of her life, as her occupation listed at the time of her death was "at home," it is possible she was continuing to write. However, the label would have not supported her character well, as it was often a term to place women within the domestic sphere of the "stay at home wife," that Worthington often tried extremely hard to escape from, through her writing. Her writing is quite remarkably remembered for the wit and humor she shares throughout her novels, and is seen as a notable figure for female authors. She became a voice for many, and created fictional relatable characters, who can still be recognized today, within society. Her voice was heard during a time when women's were not, creating an everlasting appreciation for her perspective and ideologies on the cultural normals of the time.

Published Work

When Peggy Smiled: a Love Story, The Biddy Club, and The Little Brown Dog: A Tale of the Presidio

1888 was a busy year for Worthington, as she welcomed her daughter, Nellie Eleanor S. Worthington, in November to her family of four. In the same year, Worthington published her first two books, When Peggy Smiled: a Love Story and The Biddy Club, which were authored under her pin name, Griffin A. Nicolas, and published through the Chicago publishing company A.C. McClurg and company. In The Biddy Club, Worthington writes about a group of women who share stories and talk about various topics, including women’s rights, having a servant, being a mother, and the economy during this time. The Biddy Club presents similarities between Worthington and her main character Griff, who is also a writer. The book begins with Griff sharing, “This depression was not without real cause, as will be understood when I say that I held in my hand a rejected manuscript.” Worthington’s book follows Griff and her friend Dolly, who proposes that the two create a group of women to share their problems. Dolly proposes that Griff use her talents in writing to announce and publicize their women's club. Dolly suggests, “put it any way you like, just so you sound our voice all over the union.” A year later, Worthington published her third book, The Little Brown Dog: A Tale of the Presidio

How to Cook Husbands

Keeping this momentum in 1890, Worthington, now 48, published her next book with a new publishing company, Dodge Publishing Company, arguably her most famous book, How to Cook Husbands. Worthington dedicates this book to her daughter, Nellie Eleanor S. Worthington, noting, “To a dear little girl who will someday, I hope, be skilled in all branches of matrimonial cookery.” Worthington announces the inspiration behind this book being from a newspaper clipping written by a “Baltimore women” who compares men to recipes. This book follows a satirical tone through Worthington’s main character, Mrs. Leigh, as she struggles with finding a husband, sharing, “I am not an old maid, but, at the time this occurs, I am unmarried, and I am thirty-four years old—not quite beyond the pale of hope.”

The Gentle Art of Cooking Wives

Continuing her career, in 1900, Worthington published a sequel to How to Cook Husbands once again with Dodge Publishing Company, titled The Gentle Art of Cooking Wives. However, unlike Worthington's prior book, this one focused on how a man can ‘cook’ women, sharing, “'If a wife is allowed to boil at all, she always boils over'”.

The Tocsin: Our Children in Peril

After The Gentle Art of Cooking Wives, Worthington retired, and three years later, in 1903, she reconnected with Cubery & Co. publishing company from one of her previous books, The Little Brown Dog: A Tale of the Presidio. Worthington felt called to write and publish The Tocsin: Our Children in Peril to discuss the public school system and its problems. Worthington dedicates this book to her firstborn and son Robert S. Worthington, stating, “With the glad and confident hope that he will one day wield a strong influence in the world for ennobling and uplifting.” In the preface, Worthington announces her support for change by sharing how public schools need a change, and because the public schools are for the people, the people should have a voice, presenting her passion for reform. Throughout this book, Worthington highlights the lack of morals that males have toward women while suggesting that public schools should implement a religion class in schools as a tool encouraging schools to “utilize the religious element.” Moreover, this book announces the fear instilled in females at a young age to be weary and cautious around men.

Twenty-Eight Seconds and After of the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire

Worthington’s last book was published in 1906 as she once again felt called to write, but this time to share the experiences of a deadly earthquake in her book titled Twenty-eight Seconds and After A Tale of the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. Worthington dedicates this book to “The suffers I dedicate this tale of the San Francisco disasters reminding them of God’s message ‘As thy days so shall thy strength be.’ USGS states, “The California earthquake of April 18, 1906, ranks as one of the most significant earthquakes of all time”. Worthington's book follows a fictional story inspired by her experiences and the experiences of her family, friends, and neighbors during this natural disaster.

Literary Styles

Worthington’s novels have been studied for quite some for literary style she uses throughout. With a vast amount of themes that address feminist ideals and social commentary amongst different domestic and world views. Worthington simultaneously uses wit and humor to draw readers in through metaphorical statements and comparisons.

Themes

Worthington published many novels throughout her time, signifying a great sense of wit and humor to shine light amongst different societal expectations and cultural attitudes women were subject to within the late 19th century. Some of her most notable novels, How To Cook Husbands and The Biddy Club, were focused among domestic relationships and the interconnections of marriage. Highlighting the difficulties marriage accompanied, and how to deal with those problems. She accounts for these through metaphorical and humorous statements about cooking, as she explains, “[i]t is a good cook that makes an appetizing dish out of poor material, and when a woman makes a delicious husband out of little or nothing she may rank as a chef”. She seemingly uses her words of domestic life to portray larger themes of the feminist ideology. She frequently notes women would be “better off single” and that “materials don’t count for everything”, expressing a longing for a world where women have more independence. The theme of equality is commonly seen in her portrayals of fictional characters navigating the expectations placed upon them, highlighted frequently within The Biddy Club.

Beliefs

Her themes are thoroughly translated by her thoughts, as she expresses within interviews how the world could be much more dynamic and strong if “men and women were closer in harmony”. She had a strong belief women and men were equal, but often compares men to animals. Her ideology of feminism was not cut short there however, as she also makes it abundantly clear her stance on young women being over sexualized and frequently feeling unease anytime they are alone. This stance on the injustice many young women felt, later led her to write The Toscin: Our Children in Peril.

Criticism and Reception of Work

Worthington’s work portrays social commentary through her feminist themes, causing polarizing reviews to be published. Worthington’s 1890 How to Cook Husbands was one of her texts that received a polarizing review because it added pressure to the social norms.

Worthington shares her journey and intention behind her 1890 book How to Cook Husbands in a 1900 magazine titled Book News: An Illustrated Magazine of Literature and Books. Worthington states in this article, “I have long felt that anything that might serve to bring men and women closer into harmony was of value to the world. I have also felt that a great deal of love, coupled with a great deal of very delicate and very beautiful tact, might easily bring the domestic life nigh unto the gates of paradise. It was with a view to setting forth something of all this that I wrote How to Cook Husbands”. Worthington’s quote establishes her value for equality between women and men and her belief that this would bring more love into the world. However, in this same magazine issue, she receives a critique for How to Cook Husbands that follows,“...The book is written pleasantly, though the philosophy is neither deep nor original, and the idea expressed in the title is harped on till it grows somewhat tiresome. An odd effect is produced by the description of incidents usually associated with the salt sea, storms, shipwreck and lifeboats, as happening on ‘the lake.’ Shipwrecks on the great lakes are, to be sure, as grim realities as on the east coast, but we are not yet accustomed to them in fiction,” referring to the third chapter of Worthington’s book. Book Notes: A Monthly Literature Magazine and Review of New Books in 1899 begins the review by stating Worthington’s “ ... clever and humorous magazine articles have delighted a host of readers has just published a most amusing oddity…”. Portrays Worthington’s writing and personality as quirky and funny. This book review continues including, “Mrs. Worthington’s story is brim full of clever and happy hits, and she treats the ‘husband’ question with great skill and rare humor. That Mrs. Worthington’s methods for ‘cooking’ husbands will cause considerable comment goes without saying,--the very fact that the publishers have arranged for a leather edition ‘for everyday use’ proves that they expect it to be used almost as a dictionary on the subject!”.

Similarly, in 1899, The Publishers Weekly published a review that shared, “Mrs. Worthington is the author of many interesting magazine articles which show great wit and humor.” In the same year, Public Opinion released a review noting, “Miss. Worthington introduces some interesting anecdotes, a horse and a dog stoy being especially good. Altogether ‘How to Cook Husbands’ is a bright and clever little volume". Further establishes the light tone in Worthington’s story.

List of Selected Works

• “When Peggy Smiled: a Love Story”(1888)
• “The Biddy Club” (1888)
• “The Little Brown Dog"(1889)
• “How to Cook Husbands”(1890)
• “The Gentle Art of Cooking Wives” (1900)
• “The Tocsin: Our Children in Peril” (1903)
• “Twenty-eight Seconds and After: A Tale of the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire” (1906)