Effie Woodward Fifield

Effie Woodward Fifield (née Woodward; 17 February 1857 – 21 November 1937) was an American writer, editor, and philanthropist.

Personal life Effie Woodward was born on 17 February 1857 in Hyde Park, Wabasha County, Minnesota, the daughter of Charles E. and Marie (Sias) Woodward.

In 1906, Merriman married Joseph Clark Fifield, a Minnesotan publisher, in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

She was an organizer for the Progressive Women of America, and its director for four years, as well as organizer of the Work and Play Club for young people. The Housekeeper was a leading women's journal in the United States, and Merriman was described as bringing "little touches of sentiment and intimacy" which made her successful as editor.

Merriman published a number of serials and short stories, but particularly favored stories for children. Mollie Miller (1894) was described as "an inspiration to any boy and girl and a valuable aid to parents... full of incidents... bright, fresh, clean and wholesome".

Death and legacy Effie Woodward Fifield died on 21 November 1937 in La Crescenta, California. She willed her thirteen-room home, Twelve Oaks Lodge, to the International Sunshine Society, for the benefit of the elderly homeless.