Isabella Alden - "Pansy"

[Diane Merkel]

Isabella Alden (1841 - 1830) lived in DeFuniak Springs and was a prolific writer who used the pen name Pansy. The Walton County Heritage Association would like to nominate her for the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

I would like to ask an American Literature professor who is familiar with her work to write a letter of support for the nomination. I took a lot of American Lit courses, but I never heard of Pansy until I visited our museum. If anyone has a suggestion of who might be contacted, I would appreciate it very much.

Diane

[Dean DeBolt]

When I researched Isabella Alden for my chapter in the Book Lover's Guide to Florida, I looked at a number of biographical sources for her. From what I could learn, DeFuniak Springs was not her residence; rather she did visit for short periods during the Florida Chautauqua which I expected since Wallace Bruce was so much of the New York Chautauqua and she knew him from there.

She may have had the property and "Pansy" cottage in DeFuniak Springs built for her as a "winter" retreat for these periods. We do have an autograph album of Wallace Bruce's daughter in our collections on which the first autograph is Isabella's in which she says "from your neighbor."

Dean DeBolt, University Librarian
Special Collections, University of West Florida

[Diane Merkel]

Thank you VERY much. We suspected that might be the case, and it's nice to have some substantiation.

I look forward to meeting you one day. I have heard many wonderful things about your knowledge of DeFuniak Springs!

Best wishes,
Diane