Elizabeth Rhodes Jackson

Elizabeth Rhodes Jackson
Jackson, from the 1897 yearbook of Cornell University
Born
Elizabeth Meserole Rhodes

(1875-07-06)July 6, 1875
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 30, 1955(1955-06-30) (aged 79)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationsWriter, editor

Elizabeth Meserole Rhodes Jackson (July 6, 1875 – June 30, 1955) was an American writer and magazine editor. She wrote popular children's books and stories, set in Boston.

Early life and education

Jackson was born in Brooklyn, New York,[1] the daughter of Foster Rhodes and Anna J. Hatfield Rhodes. She was the valedictorian of the Class of 1894 at Adelphi Academy,[2] and she graduated from Cornell University in 1897.[3] At Cornell she was coxswain of the school's first women's rowing team, and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.[4]

Career

Before she married, Rhodes taught English at Adelphi Academy, and was secretary of the Inter-Municipal Research Committee of the New York Association for Household Research.[5][6] Jackson was exchange editor[7] and then editor-in-chief[8] of The Key, the official national publication of Kappa Kappa Gamma.[9] She was president of the Cornell Women's Club in Boston and a member of the Boston Authors Club.[10]

Jackson's 1923 children's novel It's Your Fairy Tale, You Know is a fantasy set in her present-day Boston, which features fairies, pixies, a giant, a genie, and a kobold.[1] "The story is entertainingly written and the format pleasing," wrote one reviewer.[11] Her 1947 book Beacon Hill Children included several short stories that were widely anthologized, including "Christmas Eve at Reginald's", which involves a dog holding a holiday open house for his human friends.[12]

Publications

  • "Leaving the Nest" (1894, class song)[13]
  • "The Professor's Experiment" (Argosy, 1901, short story)[14]
  • "The Postern Gate" (The Junior Munsey, 1901, short story)[15]
  • It's Your Fairy Tale, You Know (1922, novel)[16]
  • Beacon Hill Children (1947, book)[17][18]
    • includes the stories "Christmas Eve at Reginald's",[19] "Streets of Memories",[20] "The Rule of Three"[20] "Old Houses"[21] and "The Holiday Cup"[22]

Personal life

Rhodes married architect Ralph Templeton Cushman Jackson in 1907.[6] They had four children.[23] Their son Foster Rhodes Jackson became a noted architect in Southern California.[24][25] Their daughter Ralph Dighton Jackson (later known as May Wood)[26] was a poet and editor.[27][28] Jackson died in 1955, at the age of 79, in Boston, Massachusetts.[29]

References

  1. 1 2 "'It's a Fairy Tale, You Know'; Elizabeth Rhodes Jackson, Former Brooklynite, Writes Charming Story". Brooklyn Eagle. 1922-12-30. p. 12. Retrieved 2026-04-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Adelphi's Night; Twenty-fifth Commencement of the Academy". The Brooklyn Citizen. 1894-06-13. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-04-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Cornell University, Class Book (1897 yearbook): 163; via HathiTrust.
  4. ↑ "Elizabeth Rhodes Jackson, Editor of the Key". Themis of Zeta Tau Alpha. 11: 299. 1912.
  5. ↑ "Give 'em the Sitting Room; Servants Should Have It One Night a Week, Says Miss Rhodes". The New York Times. April 25, 1906. p. 10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-24.
  6. 1 2 "Untitled social item". Times Union. 1906-07-15. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-04-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Masthead" (PDF). The Key. 24 (2). May 1907.
  8. ↑ Masthead, The Key 28(4)(December 1911).
  9. ↑ Banta's Greek Exchange. G. Banta. 1912. p. 223.
  10. ↑ Flagg, Mildred Buchanan (1965). Notable Boston authors; members of the Boston Authors Club, 1900-1966. Internet Archive. Cambridge, Mass., Dresser, Chapman & Grimes. p. 156.
  11. ↑ Bower, Helen (1923-01-07). "A Fairy Tale Set in Modern Boston (review)". Detroit Free Press. p. 87. Retrieved 2026-04-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Jacobson, Ordath P. (1956-11-27). "Reigning Cats and Dogs; Dog Holds Open House for His Many Friends". Sun Herald. p. 24. Retrieved 2026-04-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Levermore, Charles H., ed., The Abridged Academy Song-Book for Use in Schools and Colleges (Ginn and Company 1918): 100.
  14. ↑ "Publication: The Argosy, December 1901". ISFDB:Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 2026-04-24.
  15. ↑ Rhodes, Elizabeth Meserole (September 1901). "The Postern Gate". The Junior Munsey. 10 (6): 897–904 – via Internet Archive.
  16. ↑ Jackson, Elizabeth Rhodes. (1922). Its your fairy tale you know. Boston: B. J. Brimmer Co.
  17. ↑ Elizabeth Rhodes Jackson (1947). beacon hill children or chronicles of the corey family as told by dee. Internet Archive.
  18. ↑ "Sampling of Recent Books in Brief Review". The Tennessean. 1947-03-30. p. 27. Retrieved 2026-04-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Jackson, Elizabeth Rhodes (December 10, 1952). "Christmas Eve at Reginald's". Junior Scholastic. 31 (12): 10–12 – via Internet Archive.
  20. 1 2 Marjorie Barrows (1953). Stories of Today. Internet Archive.
  21. ↑ Marjorie Barrows (1953). Favorite Mystery Stories. Internet Archive.
  22. ↑ Barrows, Marjorie (1953). School and sport. Internet Archive. Spencer press – via Internet Archive.
  23. ↑ "Families of Council Officers" The Key of Kappa Kappa Gamma 43(2)(April 1926): 214.
  24. ↑ "Foster Rhodes Jackson". Modern San Diego. Retrieved 2026-04-23.
  25. ↑ Ryon, Ruth (2003-02-23). "An architect's labor of love". The Los Angeles Times. p. 144. Retrieved 2026-04-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ "Obituary for 'May' Wood". Abilene Reporter-News. 1985-12-13. p. 44. Retrieved 2026-04-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ↑ "Visiting Poet to be Honored at Reception". Progress-Bulletin. 1948-07-30. p. 9. Retrieved 2026-04-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ "Lynn Writers Continue Gatherings Through Year". The Daily Item. 1947-07-11. p. 14. Retrieved 2026-04-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ "Recent Deaths: Elizabeth Rhodes Jackson". The Boston Globe. 1955-07-01. p. 9. Retrieved 2026-04-24 – via Newspapers.com.
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