Molly Elliot Seawell
Historian
An American historian and the author of more than ten books, she published works such as Midshipman Paulding; Paul Jones; Decatur and Somers; and A Virginian Cavalier. Her popular works include nautical fiction, regional stories, and tales of romance.
Raised on her family's plantation in Virginia, she grew up reading the works of Shakespeare. At the age of seventeen, she started reading novels and was inspired to become a writer.
Her literary works are recognized less for sound plot structure than for nuanced characterizations.
She grew up in Gloucester, Virginia, as the child of John Tyler Seawell and Frances Elizabeth Jackson Seawell.
She was related to president John Tyler.