Woman of the Century/Clara Doty Bates

BATES, Mrs. Clara Doty, author, born in Ann Arbor, Mich., in 185-. She is the second daughter of Samuel Rosecrans Doty and Hannah Lawrence, who were among the pioneers of Michigan. Mrs. Bates comes of stalwart stock, mingled Dutch and English blood. Her great-grandfather, CLARA DOTY BATES. a Rosecrans, was ninety years old when he died, and the legend goes that at the time of his death "his hair was as black as a raven's wing." Another ancestor was with Washington at Valley Forge. On the mother's side are the Lawrences, and Hannah Lawrence, the great-grandmother, was famous for her gift of story-telling. Clara had a rhyming talent from her earliest days. She w rote verses when she could only print in big letters. Her first poem was published when she was nine years old. The most of her published work has been fugitive, although she has written several books, chiefly for children. Among these are "Æsop's Tables Versified," "Child Lore," "Classics of Babyland," "Heart's Content," and several minor books, all published in Boston. Her life up to her marriage was passed in Ann Arbor. The homestead, "Heart's Content," was well known for its treasures of books and pictures. The location of the State University in Ann Arbor gave better facilities for education than were offered in the usual western village. It was before the admission of women to equal opportunities with men, but it was possible to secure private instruction in advanced studies. This the little flock of Doty girls had in addition to private Schools, While the son had the university. Clara Doty was married in 1869 to Morgan Bates, a newspaper man and the author of several plays. Her home is in Chicago, Ill. She is a member of the Fortnightly literary club. She is upon the literary committee of the Woman's Branch of the World's Congress Auxiliary. All her manuscript and notes were destroyed by the burning of her father's house several years ago. Among them were a finished story, a half-completed novel and some other work. Mrs. Bates is fond of outdoor life and is a woman of marked individuality.