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Martha Finley

MARTHA FINLEY was an American teacher and author whose 28-volume Elsie Dinsmore series sold more than five million copies over a span of 38 years. She also wrote the seven-volume Mildred Keith series, considered partly autobiographical, and more than fifty short books and pamphlets published by the Presbyterian Board of Publication.

Finley was the daughter of a Presbyterian minister, was educated at private schools, and taught briefly before devoting herself to writing. She wrote many of her works under the pseudonym Martha Farquharson.

Born in Chillicothe, Ohio, on April 26, 1828, Finley moved to Elkton, Maryland, in 1876, where she lived for more than thirty years until her death on January 30, 1909.

Martha Finley’s books are published by Cumberland House Publishing, an imprint of Turner Publishing.

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  • Mildred's New Daughter book cover
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    Mildred's New Daughter

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    Young orphans Ethel, Blanche, Harry, and Nannette Eldon have suffered much since the loss of their parents -- their British father after a prolonge...

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  • Mildred's Boys and Girls book cover
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    Mildred's Boys and Girls

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    The Landreths' harbor a family of fugitive slaves. The family fears the oncoming civil war and the possibility of sending fathers and sons, brother...

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  • Mildred at Home book cover
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    Mildred at Home

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    The Landreth's and Annis' meet Aunt Wealthy in Philadelphia on their way home from the Oaks and complete their journey with her at their side. Mild...

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  • Mildred's Married Life book cover
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    Mildred's Married Life

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    Mildred and Charlie Landreth, the proud parents of a baby boy, have settled into quiet domestic life. An invitation from cousins Horace and Elsie t...

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  • Mildred and Elsie book cover
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    Mildred and Elsie

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    Mildred's stay at Roselands draws to a close, and she is torn between her beloved home in Indiana and her newfound friends and family. She has blos...

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  • Mildred at Roselands book cover
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    Mildred at Roselands

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    Before Martha Finley had completed the first six titles of The Elsie Books in 1876, she began a new series based upon the Dinsmore's Midwestern rel...

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  • Mildred Keith book cover
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    Mildred Keith

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    Before Martha Finley had completed the first six titles of The Elsie Books in 1876, she began a new series based upon the Dinsmore's Midwestern rel...

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