Miss Anna Blackwell

(Born: June 21, 1816 - Died: January 4, 1900)

Poet and journalist. Anna Blackwell was born in Bristol, England. She was the eldest of eight children. Her parents were Hannah Lane and Samuel Blackwell. Mr. Blackwell had been a sugar executive. He emigrated to the United States in 1831, settling the family in New York City. In 1838, he moved again, to Cincinatti, OH, where he died. To support the family, Mrs. Blackwell opened a school, where she and Anna taught classes. She apparently wrote under the pseudonym of “Stella.” Her sister, Elizabeth Blackwell, was the first woman to become a medical doctor in the United States.