Florence Trail (who is also published under the name Florence Traill) was born in Frederick, Maryland on September 1, 1854.  She was born into a prominent Maryland family, which afforded her a lot of opportunities in her life.  When an illness at age 10 caused impaired hearing, Miss Trail did not let it slow her down. In an interview with the Baltimore Sun in 1928, she said that the support of her mother allowed her to live a normal life.  Her mother had a very active role in her life- she approved all of Miss Trail’s reading, going so far as to BURN books she did not approve of!!!

The same article gives a lot of details about that life, although it seems to be rather extraordinary.  She attended the Frederick Female Seminary, where she graduated at the top of her class and later went on to teach philosophy, evidences of Christianity, and modern history.  She also studied at the Mount Vernon Institute and Peabody Conservatory—obviously, Miss Trail was highly educated. She used her education to help others, teaching at Daughters College in Kentucky, and at another unnamed school in Tarboro, North Carolina.

“Music is an expression of objectless, limitless desires”—from “Music in a Psychological Light” in Trail’s Meanings of Music

The fact that there was a full page of the Baltimore Sun dedicated to her  indicates that she was a prominent writer in her day.  She certainly was active in her community: she was president of the Frederick Female Seminary Alumnae Association, and a member of the Society to Encourage Studies at Home.  In addition to this, she was a member of the Woman’s Literary Club of Baltimore and the Frederick Literary Association according to some articles from the Frederick paper, The News.  Her immersion in literature and education likely led to her interest in writing analytical and historical essays.