Born Caroline Matilda Stansbury in 1801, Kirkland enjoyed advantages available to few women of her time. Although her family was not particularly wealthy, they placed a high value on education, personal independence, and social reform—all of which found their way into the works she published in the 1830s and 1840s. Her grandfather had been a poet, and her mother wrote fiction and poetry. In an era in which educational opportunities were limited even for boys, Caroline was sent to study at a school run by her aunt, Lydia Mott, and by the 1820s she was working as a teacher in her aunt's school in Clinton, New York. Following her father's death in 1822, Caroline brought her mother and younger siblings to live in Clinton, where she became engaged to marry William Kirkland, a language tutor…
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Citation: Walker, Nancy A.. "Caroline M. Kirkland". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2527, accessed 21 November 2024.]
