Author - Amherst

Helen Maria Fiske was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on October 14, 1830. Both of her parents, Nathan and Deborah Fiske, were from New England. Her father was a professor of philosophy and language at Amherst College, in addition to being a Congregational clergyman.

The Fiskes had a difficult time understanding their lively and adventurous daughter. Helen's younger sister, Ann, was a much more docile, obedient child and easier for her parents to deal with. A couple of comments made by her mother reinforce this, "I cannot play with Helen so well as with Ann" and "Ann does not require the vigilance Helen does" (May, p 4, 1987). One memorable anecdote illustrating this further is when she wandered off as a six year old with a friend. Her frantic parents finally located her over four miles from home. Instead of being sorry about wandering off she told her parents what a wonderful adventure it was. Her father's response was to give her a whipping.

Even though she loved her mother lesson time could be difficult. She was the opposite of her sister when it came to learning as well. As Deborah wrote, "Helen learns very well, but I do not drive her very much to make her very literary--she is quite inclined to question the author of everything: the Bible, she says, does not feel as if it were true"(May, p 7, 1987). This must have been quite a challenge for the religious Deborah.

A somber mood was to come to the house though when her mother became unwell. She had developed tuberculosis and died when Helen was just twelve years old. As a result, the sisters became separated. The younger Ann would live with relatives and Helen went off to boarding school. Nathan had to give up his teaching career because he suffered from tuberculosis too. Two years after the death of his wife his final wish was to visit the Holy Land. He died while there, his burial was on Mount Zion.

The last school she attended was in New York. It was called Abbott Institute. She loved living in New York and did well at the school, becoming quite the scholar. After her graduation she even received an invitation to teach there. However, her plans of remaining in the city were changed when her maternal grandfather, who was her financial guardian, made plans for her to stay over the summer with a family friend in Albany. She was to stay with Reverend Palmer and his family, not something she was looking forward to. Her visit there was to be a turning point in her life, with her first romance.