Emelie C. S. Chilton

Emelie C. S. Chilton (1838–1864) was a 19th-century American author of poetry and short stories from Illinois. After completing her education at Rock River Seminary, she became a regular contributor to journals and periodicals in Nashville, Tennessee. She also served as the editor of The Temperance Monthly, a temperance periodical to which she contributed most of her work.^[1] Despite her brief life, she was a prolific writer whose talents were recognized early in her childhood.

Biography

Emelie C. Swan was born at Lost Mound, Illinois, April 25, 1838. Her parents were Andrew Cavet Swan (1802–1867) and Angelina (Mitchell) Swan (1818–1843).^[2] After the mother's death, Emelie was left to the sole care of her father, with whom she lived at Galena, Illinois during the first years of her school life.^[1]

Subsequently, she entered Rock River Seminary (later named, Mount Morris College), located at Mount Morris, Illinois, where she completed a regular course of study.^[1]

Soon after finishing her education, she visited her relatives in Nashville, Tennessee, and there made the acquaintance and afterward married James A. Chilton.^[1] They had a daughter, Alberta.^[2]

Chilton gave early indications of poetic talent. One of her best poems was written when she was a child, attending the grammar school at Galena. Since she became a resident of Nashville, she was a regular contributor to several of the journals and periodicals of that city and elsewhere.^[1]

In May, 1859, she assumed the editorial control of The Temperance Monthly, a 32-page monthly, commenced in McMinnville, Tennessee, in January, 1858, and moved to Nashville in April 1859. Chilton was its editor in Nashville, assisted by Mr. R. M. Webber. E. L. Winham was proprietor and publisher. The title of Literary Journal was added in 1860.^[3] Its publication end in August of that year for lack of patronage.^[4] Since her connection with that periodical, most of her productions appeared in its columns.^[1]

Emelie Chilton died in Nashville, March 3, 1864, of consumption, aged 26 years.^[5]

Selected works

Poems

• "October"
• "The Wrens in the Locust-Tree"

Short stories

• "All Things Considered"^[6]