Margaret L. Trudell

Elizabeth Yates: a Biography and Bibliography of Her Works Margaret L. Trudell

Elizabeth Yates was a fighter. She was determined to become a writer even as a young child. Belonging to an affluent family in Buffalo, NewYork, her parents took for granted that Elizabeth would make her debut in the city's high society. She wanted none of that. It was quite a struggle to go against the wish of her parents, but her persistence finally won. She was then allowed to go to New York City to begin her life as a writer. Her marriage to William McGreal took her to England where she spent ten years traveling and writing articles for various magazines. Her first book was published in England. The war and Bill's failing eyesight brought them back to the United States. They settled on a small farm near Peterborough, New Hampshire. Her most famous book Amos Fortune, Free Man, won her the prestigious Newbury Medal. Besides writing around fifty books, her interests reached out in many directions. Because of her husband's blindness, Elizabeth became quite active in the Association for the Blind. The gift of her land to the State is now enjoyed by many as Shieling Forest.