Eleanor Mercein Kelly

Eleanor Mercein Kelly (August 30, 1880 – October 11, 1968) was an American writer of fiction and nonfiction. She wrote one biographical study, The Chronicle of a Happy Woman: Emily A. Davison, but is best known for her romantic fiction, most of which was set in exotic locales. She was widely traveled, and used her travels as inspiration for her novels. Four of her stories were adapted to film and one on Broadway.

Life and career

Early years Kelly, daughter of Thomas Royce Mercein and Lucy Schley Mercein, was born into a prominent and wealthy Milwaukee family.

Georgetown Visitation Monastery (High School Years) For her high school years, Kelly's parents made the decision to send her to the Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, a Roman Catholic boarding school in Washington D.C. She later showed her approval of this decision, and spoke of her parents' wisdom in sending her to a school which was "steeped in tradition and leisurely atmosphere, where predilection for writing...could have full play for expansion." She was mentored in writing by a nun who was herself a noted writer, Mary Paulina Finn, who published as M. S. Pine. Kelly later reminisced, "I used to spend long days under a rose bower writing. Often they brought my lunch out to me." In 1898, Kelly was graduated from the school with honors, the valedictorian of her class. She later explained, "I dearly love Milwaukee, but I simply cannot write here." The Kentucky environment inspired her, and she furiously began to write. The result was three novels featuring Kentuckian characters and setting, titled Kildares of Storm (1916), Why Joan? (1918), and The Mansion House (1923).

Later life In 1950, after years of penning mainly short stories, Kelly returned to novel writing with the book Richard Walden's Wife, a story partly based on family diaries. The next year, she released Proud Castle, a novel about the Magyars of Hungary. She died on October 11, 1968, in Louisville. She was cremated and buried in a family lot in Milwaukee.