Elizabeth Graeme Ferguson

Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson, or Betsy Graeme; (February 3, 1737 – February 23, 1801) was an American poet and writer, known for The Dream. She held literary salon gatherings called "attic evenings", based upon French salons. Her attendees included Jacob Duché, Francis Hopkinson, Benjamin Rush, and her niece, Anna Young Smith. She wrote poetry and a wide range of works, taught writing, and mentored women writers, like Annis Boudinot Stockton and Hannah Griffitts.

After her sister Jane's death, Elizabeth raised and educated her niece Anna Young Smith and her nephew. She also raised her sister, Ann Graeme Stedman's, children after her death.

In 1772, she married a Scotsman, Hugh Henry Fergusson, who spent much of their first five years of marriage abroad. When he returned to the Philadelphia area by September 1777, Elizabeth asked General George Washington to give him a pass so that he could return to her at her estate, Graeme Park. Denied, Fergusson accepted the offer of General William Howe, Commander of the British land forces, to be a commissary to patriot prisoners in Philadelphia. He was charged with treason and banned from America. Elizabeth decided to stay in Pennsylvania and her estate was confiscated for her husband's treasonous activities and her attempts to get Washington to give up the war and have the colonies enter into a peace settlement.

Early years and works Elizabeth Graeme, the sixth of nine children born to Dr. Thomas and Ann Diggs Graeme, spent much of her youth at Graeme Park, the family estate in Horsham, Pennsylvania, located outside of Philadelphia. Her mother, Ann Diggs, was the stepdaughter of colonial governor William Keith. Ann educated Elizabeth, teaching her to read and write, needlework, and social graces. Her father taught her Latin, German, and Greek. He also shared his impressions of the Scottish Enlightenment.

After the death of her sister (Jane), Elizabeth became the guardian and educator of her niece, Anna Young Smith, and nephew. Elizabeth encouraged the poetic talents of Anna, introducing her to the literary circles of Philadelphia. Anna's poem An Ode to Gratitude was dedicated to Elizabeth as a sign of her gratefulness.

In 1764, Elizabeth traveled to London at the urging of her mother, whose health was failing. Another reason to travel to London was to lift her spirits from the recent breakup. There until 1765, she met esteemed literary and scientific people.

While in England, Elizabeth learned that her mother died on May 29, 1765. Back at Graeme Park, Elizabeth assumed the role of female head-of-household. Ann Graeme Stedman, her sister, died soon after their mother, and Elizabeth raised Ann's children. Elizabeth was then her father's lone surviving child.

Aside from writing poetry, Elizabeth's main literary project was the translation of François Fénelon's Les Aventures de Télémaque from the original French. The Oxford Companion to women's writing in the United States said it was "the most distinguished intellectual salon in British America." The weekly meetings were based upon the French salon. Talented writers like Jacob Duché, Hannah Griffitts, Francis Hopkinson, Benjamin Rush, Anna Young Smith, and Annis Boudinot Stockton attended her gatherings. without her father's knowledge or approval. Hugh left Philadelphia for Scotland in the summer. Her father knew that the couple wanted to marry, and he suggested they wait until Hugh returned from Scotland. Elizabeth's father died on September 4, 1772, of a stroke, never having learned of his daughter's marriage. By September 21, having not heard from her husband, Elizabeth made a public announcement of her marriage, as advised by John Dickinson, a lawyer.

In September 1775, Hugh went to England on personal business, and from there sailed for Jamaica in February 1776. He arrived in New York on July 19, 1777.