Sarah Orne Jewett: Irish Women of Massachusetts

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Sarah Orne Jewett
(1849-1909)

Born in Berwick, ME, Sarah Orne Jewett was not Irish at all. But after visiting Ireland in 1882, she began writing short stories and essays in Scribners and Cosmopolitan magazines about Irish immigrants coming to New England.  She captured the tragedy of poor Irish immigrants but also their boundless optimism, which helped to shape New England for generations to come.  In her popular story ‘A Captive Irish Maid,’ Jewett describes a cheerful Irish girl who came to America to make her fortune so she could save the farm back home.

Sarah Orne Jewett is part of BITA's 2019 Irish Women of Massachusetts series in celebration of Irish Heritage Month and Women's History Month.

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