2. Contributors
  3. Macdonald, Elizabeth R.

Elizabeth Roberts Macdonald
1864-1922

Jane Elizabeth Gostwycke (Roberts) MacDonald was born 17 February 1864 in Westcock, New Brunswick, which is located near Sackville. She was educated at the Collegiate School and the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. MacDonald published some of her poems in literary periodicals, including The Century, The Independent, and Outing Magazine. She also taught at the School for the Blind in Halifax, Nova Scotia, resigning after she married her cousin Samuel Archibald Roberts MacDonald in 1896. Her father privately published her poems in a book called Poems (1885). Her brother Charles submitted her poetry to the anthology Songs of the Great Dominion (1889) and included her work in the family collection of poems called Northland Lyrics (1899).  In 1906 her second book of poetry, Dream Verses and Others, was published. MacDonald also had short stories published in New York Churchman and Peterson’s. Her children’s book, Our Little Canadian Cousin, was published in 1904. In 1912, MacDonald and her family moved from Fredericton to Nelson, British Columbia, and two years later moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba. When her marriage ended in 1915, she and her sons moved to Ottawa, Ontario, where they remained. She died at her Ottawa home in 1922.

Source

Bone, Nigel Alexander and Laura Hennebury. "Jane Elizabeth MacDonald." New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia, Winter 2009. Accessed 18 May 2023.

Predominant New Brunswick Residences:

Fredericton, Woodstock

Archival Material

  • Location
    University of New Brunswick Archives & Special Collections
    View Archival Record
    Retrieval Number
    MG L 22
    Date Range of Material
    1892-1894, [ca. 1950], 1967-1968, 1987
    Extent

    1.25 cm textual records
    1 drawing ; 18 x 22 cm

    Scope and Content Note

    Fonds consists of material created by Elizabeth Roberts MacDonald and members of her family.

  • Location
    Library and Archives Canada
    View Archival Record
    Retrieval Number
    R11772-0-7-E, LMS-0137
    Date Range of Material
    1903-1922
    Extent
    [ca. 128 leaves], bound
    Scope and Content Note

    The volume contains manuscripts of MacDonald's poems. The place and date of writing are recorded for most poems and the date and place of publication are indicated for published poems.

Headshot of Elizabeth Roberts MacDonald

Elizabeth Roberts MacDonald

Credit

"Elizabeth Roberts MacDonald". A Celebration of Women Writers, University of Pennsylvania Libraries. Accessed 18 May 2023.

See the New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia entry.

Bibliography Items

Displaying 1 - 1 of 1
Roberts, William C., Roberts, Theodore G., and Macdonald, Elizabeth R. Northland lyrics. Boston, MA: Small, Maynard, 1899, 86 pp.. [ book ]
Collection(s): NB Authors' Archival Papers project