During the era of the American Revolution and long after, the
name Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson was well known in Philadelphia,
recognized as belonging to one of British North America's most
illustrious women of letters. One admirer dubbed her "the most
learned woman in America." In this, the first full-length biography
of Fergusson, Anne M. Ousterhout brilliantly captures the life and
times of America's first great female savant.
Born in 1737 to a wealthy family, Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson
excelled from an early age. Although women in her day were denied
higher education, Fergusson read widely, educating herself in
literature, history, and languages, even reading classical
literature in the original tongues, an unusual ability for a
colonial woman. She wrote prolifically--often until midnight or
later, spending but a few hours sleeping--and published her poetry.
Her journals of a trip to England and Scotland circulated widely
among admiring Philadelphians. During the 1770s she hosted a
Saturday evening salon at her home that was unrivaled in the
colonies for its brilliance.
Yet despite her achievements, Fergusson's life was fraught with
financial woes, bad romances, and treasonous plots that hounded her
throughout her life. After her father forbade her marriage to
Benjamin Franklin's illegitimate son, she secretly married Henry
Hugh Fergusson, a British Loyalist who left her before the
Revolution. Henry's actions, together with Elizabeth's own
political indiscretions, earned her potent enemies, leading to the
confiscation of her family estate, Graeme Park. Although she
eventually succeeded in reclaiming her property, her reputation was
tarnished in the process. Her efforts to justify her actions were
tireless, alienating friends and making the last fifteen years of
her life miserable.
The Most Learned Woman in America masterfully narrates
Fergusson's efforts to live an appropriately genteel life, even as
she struggled against the limits that her society placed on its
women. In the process, we can begin to understand the
conflicts--internal and external--that women of the Revolutionary
generation faced.
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