Category Archives: Dame Shirley

Shirley is a common enough feminine name — we all know at least one Shirley. But before 1849 the name was rare as a masculine name, and unknown as a feminine one. It was originally a rather uncommon English surname, … Continue reading →

July 28th marks another bicentennial, the 200th birthday of Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe, better know as “Dame Shirley,” author of The Shirley Letters. She was born in 1819 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and was educated in Massachusetts. She attended … Continue reading →