Catherine Parr Traill
| Catharine Parr Traill | |
|---|---|
Catharine Parr Traill, Canadian settler and author
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| Born | 9 January 1802 |
| Died | 29 August 1899 (aged 97) |
| Occupation | Author |
| Genre | Children's and Settler Literature |
Catharine Parr Traill (born Strickland; 9 January 1802 – 29 August 1899) was an English-Canadian author and naturalist who wrote about life as a settler in Canada. In the 1830s much of Canada was still unexplored. There were hardly any universities, and scientists were more interested in practical subjects such as agriculture and mining than in theoretical research. Traill is important because she pioneered investigations into Canada's natural history and, through her writing, opened Canada up for English readers.
She was born Catharine Parr Strickland in Rotherhithe in 1802, sister to authors Agnes Strickland, Jane Margaret Strickland, Susanna Moodie, and Elisabeth Strickland. She was the first of the sisters to commence writing. She began writing children's books in 1818, after the death of her father. Her early work, such as Disobedience, or Mind What Mama Says (1819), and "Happy Because Good", were written for children, and often dwell on the benefits of obedience to one's parents. A prolific author, until her marriage she averaged one book per year. In 1832, she married Lieutenant Thomas Traill, a retired officer of the Napoleonic Wars and a friend of her sister's husband, John Moodie, despite objections from her family (aside from Susanna). Soon after their marriage they left for Upper Canada, settling near Peterborough, where her brother Samuel was a surveyor. Her sister, Mrs. Susanna Moodie, emigrated soon afterwards.
She described her new life in letters and journals, and collected these into The Backwoods of Canada (1836), which continues to be read as an important source of information about early Canada. She describes everyday life in the community, the relationship between Canadians, Americans, and natives, the climate, and local flora and fauna. More observations were included in a novel, Canadian Crusoes (1851). She also collected information concerning the skills necessary for a new settler, published in The Female Emigrant's Guide (1854), later retitled The Canadian Settler's Guide. She wrote "Pearls and Pebbles" and "Cot and Cradle Stories".
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