Alice and Phoebe Cary — Frontier Voices of American Poetry

 

Alice and Phoebe Cary — Frontier Voices of American Poetry

Alice and Phoebe Cary, were sisters from Mount Healthy, Ohio, whose poetry and prose significantly shaped 19th-century American literature. Writing from the margins of both geography and gender, the Cary sisters infused domestic life, spiritual longing, and social advocacy into their verse. Though less remembered today, their legacy endures in American letters as pioneers of women's authorship, poetic experimentation, and moral vision.

Poetry on the Prairie

Born on a farm in southwestern Ohio in the early 19th century, Alice (1820–1871) and Phoebe Cary (1824–1871) began writing poetry as children. Encouraged by a supportive but modestly educated family, they honed their literary voices in a region far removed from the urban publishing centers of the East Coast.

Despite the limitations placed on women writers in their time—especially those from rural areas—the Cary sisters carved out lasting careers. Their work was widely published in periodicals such as The National Era, The Atlantic Monthly, and Harper’s Weekly. Their poetry resonated with themes of home, death, faith, memory, and moral conviction, making them beloved figures in American households and literary salons alike.

Biographical Background

After publishing regionally in Ohio, the sisters moved to New York City in the early 1850s, where they became central figures in literary and reformist circles. Their Sunday salons brought together writers, reformers, and intellectuals like Horace Greeley, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and John Greenleaf Whittier.

Literary Style and Themes

1. Domestic and Rural Life
The Cary sisters often wrote about the everyday experiences of women, including domestic chores, childhood memories, and the emotional depth of simple lives.

“True worth is in being, not seeming—
In doing, each day that goes by,
Some little good—not in dreaming
Of great things to do by and by.”
Alice Cary, from Nobility

2. Religious and Spiritual Themes
Phoebe’s poems often leaned toward hymn-like structures and expressions of Christian faith. Her poem “Nearer Home” became a well-known 19th-century hymn.

“One sweetly solemn thought
Comes to me o’er and o’er:
I am nearer home today
Than I ever have been before.”
Phoebe Cary, from Nearer Home

3. Women’s Rights and Social Reform
While not always overtly political, the sisters—particularly Alice—expressed early feminist ideals through their portrayals of intelligent, capable women and critiques of narrow domestic roles.

4. Accessibility and Emotional Resonance
Their poetry was emotionally honest and accessible, appealing to both everyday readers and literary critics. The sisters often chose simple, direct language over florid or abstract forms.

Literary and Cultural Impact

Their New York home was a center for progressive thought, bridging literary and social reform movements.

Their careers demonstrated that women from modest backgrounds could achieve national literary success.

Phoebe's hymns became mainstays in American churches and hymnals.

After their deaths in 1871, their collected works were widely published and anthologized throughout the late 19th century.

Decline and Rediscovery

By the early 20th century, the Cary sisters’ popularity waned as modernist aesthetics and literary tastes shifted. However, literary historians, feminist scholars, and poets interested in regional and women’s voices have begun to revisit their work for its cultural and historical value.

Their contributions are now recognized as part of the broader movement of women’s literature in the 19th century and as precursors to more overtly political feminist writers.

Legacy and Continued Relevance

The Cary sisters exemplify how regional writers can impact national conversations about identity, gender, and morality. Their legacy includes:

- Opening doors for women poets from the American Midwest
- Humanizing domestic life through art
- Contributing to early feminist discourse
- Inspiring generations of religious, lyrical, and narrative poets



Alice and Phoebe Cary were not only poets of their time—they were women ahead of it. With quiet force, they crafted a vision of womanhood that was thoughtful, principled, and expansive. From their Ohio farm to New York’s literary elite, the Cary sisters remain enduring symbols of how art, when grounded in honesty and heart, transcends its origins.



Further Reading and Resources

Alice Cary:
Clovernook: Or Recollections of Our Neighborhood in the West (1852)
Ballads, Lyrics, and Hymns (1866)

Phoebe Cary:
Poems and Parodies (1854)
Hymns for All Christians (1869)
Poems of Faith, Hope and Love (1872, posthumous)

Poems of Alice and Phoebe Cary (collected editions available online and in libraries)

Ohio Women: A Collection of Writings, Ohio Historical Society

The Oxford Companion to Women’s Writing in the United States (for contextual analysis)