by George J. Dance
Helen M. Merrill (1866-1951) was a Canadian poet.[1]
Helen Merrill Egerton (1866-1951) in Canadian Singers and their Songs, 1919. Courtesy Internet Archive.
| Helen M. Merrill | |
|---|---|
 Merrill in Canadian Poets, 1916 | |
| Born |
1866 Napanee, Ontario |
| Died |
1951 Toronto, Ontario |
| Occupation | archivist |
| Nationality |
 Canadian |
| Citizenship | British subject |
| Alma mater | Ottawa Ladies College |
| Notable work(s) | The Sandpiper and Other Poems (1915) |
Life[]
Youth and education[]
Merrill was born in Napanee, Ontario, the daughter of Caroline (Wright) and Edwards Merrill.[2]
She was educated at Ottawa Ladies College.[2]
Career[]
She worked for the Ontario Bureau of Archives, where she authored many monographs on the northern part of the province, and collaborated with William Wilfred Campbell on gathering historical and geneological material for a study on the United Empire Loyalists.[2]
She was president of the Canadian Society for the Protection of Birds, general secretary of the United Empire Loyalists' Association, a councillor of the Canadian Defence League, and a member of the Society of Colonial Families. In 1912 she was was the honorary secretary of the Isaac Brock Centenary Commemoration. During World War I she was the Canadian fundraising representative of Madame Vandervelde, wife of the Belgian Minister of State.[2]
Writing[]
Thomas O'Hagan: "Helen M. Merrill was born to the poetic purple. Her gift as a singer is a genuine one. Her work reveals a mind in close sympathy with nature whose subtle influence has moulded and fashioned her highest and holiest dreams. Not always is the thought of poetry born poetry –- more frequently is it incarnated in prose, then cradled and clad in the flowers of poetry. The test of true poetry is that it cannot be translated into prose without doing violence to its spirit. Now it will be found that Miss Merrill's poetry measures up to this test. It is thought, born on the mountain top and clad in the most fitting raiment."[2]
Recognition[]
She was adopted into the Oneida First Nation, who gave her the name of Ka-ya-tonhs ('a keeper of records').[2]
Publications[]
Poetry[]
- Sandpipers, and other poems. Toronto: Public Health Journal, 1915.[1]
Non-fiction[]
- Picturesque Prince Edward County. Gazette Printing House, 1892.[3]
See also[]
References[]
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sandpipers and other poems (microform) 1915, Internet Archive, Web, Feb. 15, 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 John Garvin, "Helen M. Merrill," Canadian Poets (Toronto: McClelland, Goodchild and Stewart, 260, Digital Library, University of Pennysylvania, UPenn.edu, Web, Feb. 15, 2012.
- ↑ Picturesque Prince Edward County (1892), Internet Archive, Web, Feb. 15, 2012.
External links[]
- Poems
- "When the Gulls Come In"
- Helen M. Merrill in Canadian Poets: 5 poems
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