Hester Dorsey Richardson

Hester Dorsey Richardson ( Dorsey; pen name, Selene; January 9, 1862 – December 10, 1933) was an American author of several historical studies of Maryland, as well as a genealogist and clubwoman. Among her publications were The Origin and Customs of English Manors: With an Account of Feudal Rights and Privileges in the American Colonies (1912; 1913) and Side-lights on Maryland History; With Sketches of Early Maryland Families. Her work was commended in England as well as in the U.S.

Early life Hester Crawford Dorsey was born in Baltimore, Maryland on January 9, 1862. She was the daughter of James L. Dorsey and Sarah A. W. Dorsey, both representatives of Maryland's old colonial families. Her siblings included librarian Sallie Webster Dorsey, Mary, and Charles.

Career Hester, the best known of three literary sisters, made her first appearance in the Sunday papers of her native city. She wrote in verse a year or more, before turning her attention to prose writings. Not a few of her poems attracted favorable comment and found their way into various exchanges. In 1886, she wrote "Dethroned," a poem narrating the fate of Maximilian I of Mexico, a copy of which, handsomely engrossed, was presented to Franz Joseph I of Austria, to whom it was dedicated. The emperor accepted the dedication in a letter of thanks to the author. Then Hester, at the request of the Baltimore American, began a series of articles on ethical and sociological subjects, to which she signed the pen name "Selene". Those "Selene Letters" at once attracted wide attention and excited controversy in literary circles. Her prose writings did much toward improving the hospital service in Baltimore, and a pungent letter from her pen helped to rescue the Mercantile Library from an untimely end. 1891, she laid the firm foundation of a controlling force in the intellectual and social life of her native city. The club had more than 100 members, including many of the best known writers of the day. and Side-lights on Maryland History: With Sketches of Early Maryland Families (1913). and was a fellow of The Manorial Society of England. She was a member of the American Historical Association, the Maryland Historical Society, as well as a life member, Societe Academique d'Histoire Internationale, Paris. They had at least one child, a son, Dorsey.

Hester Dorsey Richardson died at her home in Baltimore, December 10, 1933. Burial was at the Old Trinity Church Cemetery, Dorchester County, Maryland.

Selected works The Origin and Customs of English Manors: With an Account of Feudal Rights and Privileges in the American Colonies (1912; 1913) Side-lights on Maryland History; With Sketches of Early Maryland Families (1913)