Mary Louise Nash

Mary Louise Nash (1826–1896) was a 19th-century American educator and writer born in New York. She was descended from New England families with Puritan and Revolutionary War ancestry. Over the course of her career, she held administrative positions at several southern colleges, including Mary Sharp College in Tennessee and the University of Waco in Texas. After the Civil War, she and her husband founded the Sherman Institute in Sherman, Texas, a girls’ school that later became Mary Nash College, where she served as principal. Alongside her work in education, Nash wrote serials, sketches, humorous pieces, and dramatic works that appeared in newspapers and periodicals, and she published a school monthly. She was active in literary and scientific pursuits, conducting literary societies and clubs, and was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

Early life and education Mary Louise Marsh was born in Panama, New York, July 16, 1826. Mrs. Marsh's maiden name was Forbush. On the Forbush side, the family were Scotch, having left their native country soon after the battle of Culloden.

She was of Puritan ancestry, with many historical family members notable in early New England history,

Nash loved books and literary pursuits from an early age, indicating a talent for literary work. After Mrs. Nash's death, her son, A. Q. Nash directed its operations until its closure in 1901 when it was sold to Kidd-Key College.

The couple had three children. William Q. (1852-1854), Jessie Forbush (1862-1863), and Alexander Q. (b. 1855) who became a civil engineer of the city of Sherman.

Mary Marsh Nash died February 7, 1896.