Eva Best

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Eva Best
19th-century B&W portrait profile photo of a woman with her hair in an up-do, wearing a dark blouse with embellished collar, and a hat.
Portrait photo from A Woman of the Century
BornEva Williams
December 19, 1851
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
DiedApril 17, 1925
Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Resting placeWoodland Cemetery and Arboretum, Dayton, Ohio
Pen nameSaturn
Occupation
  • writer
  • music composer
Language
  • English
  • dialect
Genre
  • stories
  • poetry
  • dramas
Spouse
William H. Best
​
(m. 1869)​
Children2
Relatives

Eva Best (née, Williams; pen name, Saturn; 1851-1925) was an American story writer, poet, music composer, dramatist, and painter. She wrote a great deal in dialect.[1][2]

Best was among the first persons to recognize the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar and was influential in bringing him before the public. In his youth, Dunbar was an elevator attendant in the same building in which Best's father conducted an architect's office, and she became acquainted with the youth and his literary endeavors through seeing him in her father's building.[3]

Early life[edit]

Eva Williams was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, December 19, 1851. She was the eldest daughter of John Insco Williams and Mrs. Mary Williams, who removed to Chicago, Illinois. Her father was an artist and painted the first bible panorama ever exhibited in the United States. Her mother is also an artist of merit as well as a writer of verse and prose.[1] Eva's brother, Charles Insco Williams, was an artist and architect.[2] A sister, Lulu, married William I. Buchanan.[4]

Career[edit]

Best started her literary career as a poet.[1] "The Beautiful Thought", "Love and Hate", "A Promised Day", and "Thou Art" are included in The New Cycle (1899),[5] while "The Power of Thought" was included in the Bible Review (1905).[6]

She began writing for the papers in 1871, encouraged to do so by W. D. Bickham, of the Dayton Journal (now, Dayton Daily News). In 1872, she began contributing to the Cincinnati Saturday Night, and afterward for The Cincinnati Times-Star, under the nom de plume of "Saturn". She then wrote for Godey's Magazine, for Arthur's Lady's Home Magazine , and for Peterson's Magazine.[2] Her first short story appeared in one of the Frank Leslie's periodicals. That was followed by stories in other publications. In 1882, her services were sought by the editor of the Detroit Free Press, with Best becoming the editor of the household department of that paper. She was also a regular contributor to Ansel Nash Kellogg's Newspaper Company.[1] In 1900, Best joined The New Cycle where her editorial work focused on "The Home Circle" department; she also provided poems and short stories.[7]

"My past has placed me where I am today and my tomorrow will find me where I have earned the right to be." (Eva Best, 1926)[8]

Best wrote several dramas. The first, An American Princess, ran at least six seasons. A comedy drama, Sands of Egypt, was in the hands of Miss Elisabeth Marbury, of New York City. A Rhine Crystal was being used by Miss Floy Crowell, a New England artist. Best's other plays, The Little Banshee and Gemini, the former in Irish dialect, the latter a two-part character piece, were written for Miss Jennie Calef. In all these plays the music, dances, ballads and all incidental scores were distinctively original.[1] In her dramatic work, she composed both the songs and the music with which her dramas were interspersed.[2]

Best wrote a number of ballads.[1] One of her peculiar advantages in the writing of stories was her ability to sketch such illustrations as she required to visualize her thoughts.[2] She devoted some attention to art.[1] She often painted landscapes, flower pieces, and fruits, and was also extremely apt and original in the art of designing.[2]

Personal life[edit]

In 1869, she married William H. Best, of Dayton, Ohio, and made her home in that city.[1] They had two children, a son and a daughter.[1]

Eva Best died in Dayton, Ohio, April 17, 1925, after being ill for four months. Burial was in that city's Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum.[3]

Selected works[edit]

Dramas[edit]

  • An American Princess, 1886
  • Sands of Egypt
  • A Rhine Crystal
  • The Little Banshee
  • Gemini

Short stories[edit]

  • "A Voice of the Silence", 1900
  • "The Wise Man and the Sea Urchins", 1900

Poems[edit]

  • "The Beautiful Thought", 1899
  • "Love and Hate", 1899
  • "A Promised Day", 1899
  • "Thou Art". 1899
  • "The Power of Thought", 1905
  • "Alphabetic Hints", 1900
  • "Do Unto Others", 1900
  • "Resolves", 1900
  • "The Awakening", 1900
  • "The Kingdom of Heaven", 1900
  • "The Glorious Dawn", 1900
  • "The Wonderful Power", 1900
  • "When Father Laughs", 1900

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). "BEST, Mrs. Eva". A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life. Charles Wells Moulton. p. 80. Retrieved 8 May 2024. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Crew, Harvey W., ed. (1889). History of Dayton, Ohio: With Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Pioneer and Prominent Citizens. United Brethren Publishing House. p. 564-65. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ a b "Woman Writer Succumbs With Long Illness". The Dayton Herald. 18 April 1925. p. 9. Retrieved 8 May 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ Peterson, Harold F. (30 June 1977). Diplomat of the Americas: A Biography of William I. Buchanan, 1852-1909. State University of New York Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-4384-1600-7. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  5. ^ "The Home Circle Department". The New Cycle. Metaphysical Publishing Company: viii. 1899. Retrieved 8 May 2024. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ^ "The Power of Thought". Bible Review. 4 (2). Esoteric Publishing Company: 61. November 1905. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  7. ^ "The New Cycle". The Metaphysical Magazine. Metaphysical Publishing Company. 1900. Retrieved 8 May 2024. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ^ Erwood, Will J., ed. (February 1926). "Health and Prosperity. II". The Radiant Life. Rochester, N.U.: W.J. Erwood: 384. Retrieved 8 May 2024. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

External links[edit]

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