Representative women of New England/Clara F. Towne
CLARA FRANCES TOWNE (born Abbott) is a native of Barnard, Vt. In the same town, in the good old State of Vermont, were born her father, Austin Abbott, her grandfather, David Abbott, her two brothers, Fred and Edward Abbott, and many of her other relations. She belongs to a rugged and long-lived family, her grandfather Abbott attaining the age of eighty-eight years, and her grandmother eighty-four, with scarcely a day's illness throughout. She is distantly related to the Rev. Lyman Abbott, the Rev. A. V. R. Abbott, and the Rev. Bennett Abbott, and is a niece of Judge Ira A. Abbott, he being her father's youngest brother. Her mother, whose maiden name was Heald, was born in Temple, N.H. Both parents are still living. In her girlhood she attended the public schools of her native place and other towns. Going to Connecticut at the age of fifteen to live with an aunt, she pursued the course of study at the normal school in New Britain, after which she taught school for several years, or until her marriage. Ever since that event she has resided in Boston. She became interested in painting and in photography, for which she developed a talent and a business ability excelled by few, having at one time over one hundred and fifty employees and above one hundred thousand negatives on file. In 1897 she was made the "official photographer" of the Food Fair held at Mechanics' Building, Boston, and in 1898 she was made the "official photographer" of the great war exposition held at the Boston Auditorium, Boston, having a fine exhibit in both places. The Boston Chamber of Commerce, in its report, gave a very favorable account
of her work. Energetic-and industrious, she has made a grand success of whatever she has undertaken. She is of a decidedly literary turn of mind, has always been fond of books, has written for many years for newspapers and magazines, and is at present desirous of eliminating everything from her life that shall interfere with this her chosen vocation. Versatile and facetious in her writing, she excels in both poetry and prose, but prefers poetry. She has written the words to several songs for the director of music in the Boston public schools, and has many orders for stories in leading magazines. Many of her stories and sketches are written under the pen name of "Cordwainer," which she has used for many years. She has travelled considerably, and intends to go to Europe for a season as correspondent for a leading newspaper. She is a public reader of marked ability and a very successful teacher of elocution and of the guitar. She was made one of the council of the Boston Conservatory of Music in 1901.
She belongs to many prominent lodges and societies in Boston; is Past Noble Grand of Mary Washington, Rebekah Lodge, No. 1, L O. O. F., of Boston; is the present Worthy Matron of Mystic Chapter, No. 34, O. E. S., of Boston, one of the largest and most important chapters in the order (Governor and Mrs. Bates are members of this chapter); and is chaplain of an order. She is a member of the Rebekah Assembly, the M. and P. Association, the Associated Charities, the Day Nursery, and the Chapin Club, and is president and founder of the Clara Frances Towne Fresh Air Mission. She was made an honorary member of the A. B. of S. P. and several other social organizations. She is much sought for in society, but dislikes public life, and prefers her quiet home at the Victoria, her books and her writing, to all else.
Mrs. Towne has lived for twenty-five years in Boston and vicinity, and prefers it to all other cities, having, however, a strong liking for Washington, D.C., which may be her future home. She is very charitable, and has great love for children and old people. Our space is too short to give more than a rough sketch of this remarkably versatile woman. An ex- tract from a local paper well illustrates her life Mrs. Clara Frances Towne, of Boston, is spending the summer [1903] at Wakefield, recruiting from a severe illness. Mrs. Towne is widely known as an artist and writer of great ability, and has been affectionately called 'the Helen Gt)uld of Boston ' from her kind and charitable disposition, and for years has been known as the leader in many charitable organizations, and is especially interested in the care of the poor children of Boston and suburbs, and does much for their comfort and pleasure. Her legion of friends wish her a rapid recovery to health and strength, as she is one of those rare noble women whose services the world can ill afford to lose, even for a short time."