Fanny Murdaugh Downing

Fanny Murdaugh Downing (, Murdaugh; pen names, Viola and Frank Dashmore; October 19, 1831 - May 6, 1894) was a 19th-century American author and poet. She was the first resident novelist of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Downing's principal publications included: Nameless, a novel, 1865; Perfect though Suffering, a Tale, 1867 ; Florida, a Tale of the Land of Flowers; Pluto, or the Origin of Mint Julep, a story in verse. Most of her poems described her love and devotion for Confederate soldiers. In addition to Pluto, her best known poems were "The Legend of Catawba" and "Dixie". Early life and education Frances ("Fanny") Murdaugh was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, October 19, 1831. Her parents were Hon. John Washington Murdaugh, a distinguished name in Virginia; and Margaret Waller Murdaugh. She was educated in a private school in Virginia. Career She was married, in 1851, to Charles W. Downing Jr., Esq., of Florida, and at that time its Secretary of State. They had four children, including a daughter, Margaret. During the Civil War, she lived in Virginia, and then became a refugee in Charlotte, North Carolina, remaining until 1869. Her literary life commenced in North Carolina, in 1863. Her health was not robust. Many of her works are composed while too weak to leave her bed. A comedy of three acts, called Nobody Hurt, was thus dashed off in ten hours. When she began to write for the public, she announced her intention in a letter to a friend: "I shall write first to see if I can write; then for money, and then for fame!"