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Helen Maria Hunt Jackson (October 18, 1830 - August 12, 1885) was an American writer best known as the author of Ramona, a novel about the ill treatment of Native Americans in southern California.

She was born Helen Maria Fiske in Amherst, Massachusetts, a daughter of Nathan Welby Fiske and Deborah Waterman Vinal. She had two brothers, both of whom died after birth, and a sister named Anne. Her father was a minister, author, and professor of Latin, Greek, and philosophy at Amherst College.

Her mother died in 1844, and her father died three years later in 1847, leaving her to the care of an aunt. Before her father's death, however, he saw to it that she had a good education. She attended Ipswich Female Seminary and the Abbott Institute, a boarding school run by Reverend J.S.C. Abbott in New York City. She was a classmate of the poet Emily Dickinson, also from Amherst. The two carried on a correspondence for all of their lives, but few of their letters have survived.

In 1852, Helen Fiske...

Created by dipity on Jan 23, 2008

Last updated: 03/11/10 at 11:10 PM

• Helen Hunt Jackson Died
  Aug 11, 1885

  Helen Hunt Jackson died in San Francisco, California, California

• Ramona
  1883

  Ramona is a novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson and published in 1884. It is the story of a part-Scottish and part-Indian orphan girl growing up and getting married in Southern California, suffering discrimination and hardship. Initially serialized in the Christian Union on a weekly basis, the novel became immensely popular. Overall, it has had more than 300 printings, been made into three film versions, and has been performed as an outdoor play annually since 1923. The impact the novel had on the culture and image of Southern California was enormous. Its romanticization of Mexican colonial life gave the region a unique cultural identity and its publication coincided with the arrival of railroad lines to the region, bringing in countless tourists who wanted to see the locations in the novel. Jackson's novel is set in Southern California, shortly after the Mexican-American War. It is about a part-Scottish and part-Indian orphan girl, Ramona, who is raised by Señora Gonzaga Moreno,...

• A Century of Dishonor
  1880

  Published...was an arraignment of the treatment of the Indians by the United States.

• Verses
  1880

  First collection of poetry

• Second Marriage
  1874

  William Sharpless Jackson, a Pennsylvania Quaker and wealthy banker.

• First Husband's Death
  1862

  Edward Bissell Hunt suffocated while experimenting with his underwater naval vessel or weapon.

• Rennie Died
  1855

  Helens second son died of diphtheria

• Murray Died
  1853

  Helens first son died of brain disease

• First Marriage
  1851

  Edward Bissell Hunt, an United States Army Captain. Had two kids, Murray and Rennie.

• Schooling
  Dec 31, 1847

  Attended Ipswich Female Seminary and met her life long friend Emily Dickinson

• Father's Death
  1846

  Nathan Welby Fiske, a minister and professor at Amherst College.

• Mother's Death
  1843

  Deborah Vinal Fiske, a talented writer...died of tuberculosis.

• Helen Hunt Jackson's Birthday
  Oct 17, 1830

  Helen Hunt Jackson was born