While I’ve been unable to find any published works of Clara Newman Turner, more frequently referred to as Mrs. Sidney Turner, this member of the WLCB has proved to be quite fascinating. Namely, because she was a cousin of the famed and beloved Emily Dickinson.

Mrs. Turner was born Clarissa Badger Newman in the year 1844. At the age of eight, Clara’s parents died, and she and her three sisters, Anna, Sara, and Catherine, became wards of Mr. Edward Dickinson, father of Emily. Clara grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, alongside Emily. She went on to marry Sidney Turner in October of 1869.

Turner was from Norwich, Connecticut, and documents indicate that the couple lived there for part of their lives, as well as in Baltimore. While there are no records to indicate that they had children, it appears that the couple had dogs. Mr. Turner served as the Chairman of the Committee of the Kennel Club, and Clara was, for a time, the vice-Chairman of the Ladies’ Branch of the Kennel Club.

Besides being involved with the Kennel Club and the Woman’s Literary Club of Baltimore, Clara acted as a vice-president of the Young Women’s Christian Association of Baltimore, was a member of the Woman’s Auxiliary of the National Civil Service Reform League, as well as a member of the Women’s Civic League. Turner was also, like several of her WLCB peers, on the executive board for the Edward Allen Poe Memorial Association. Additionally, Mrs. Turner was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore.

While, as mentioned, there are no works of Turner presently available, it is known that she wrote an essay called “My Personal Acquaintance with Emily Dickinson,” and shared it at a WLCB meeting. This personal piece was later edited by Clara Newman Pearl, niece of Clara Newman Turner, and then included in The Life of Emily Dickinson. The writing of Turner indicates that the two women were very close and fond of one another.

Clara Newman Turner passed away in 1920, and a copy of The Civic Courier, distributed by The Women’s Civic League, indicates that she was living The Cecil, a hotel in Baltimore, before her death.

Portrait of Clara Newman Turner, courtesy of The Kennel Club: A History and Record of Its Work

While the birth and death dates of Florence MacIntyre Tyson are unknown to us today, remaining records paint the picture of an intelligently and worldly woman. Florence was born in Hanover, Delaware and married Mr. Frederic C Tyson of Maryland in 1872, and the couple went on to have a son, Malcom Van Vetchen Tyson, the following year. While the career and accomplishments of Mr. Frederic Tyson are unknown, records show that Malcom graduated from the Johns Hopkins University in 1894, and he is shown in the picture below. The family resided, at least part-time, at 251 West Preston Street in Baltimore, Maryland.

While these facts help us gain a more in-depth understanding of Florence MacIntyre Tyson’s lifestyle, pertinent and riveting discussion revolves around her great accomplishments in translation, as well as her apparent ability to juggle many responsibilities, and languages, while practicing her craft. Further, Mrs. Tyson, as portrayed in the Meeting Minutes, was a very globally-conscious and, dare I say, open-minded woman for her time. Undoubtedly, Mrs. Tyson was an asset to the Woman’s Literary Club of Baltimore during her 15+ year membership in the sense that she broadened the club’s definition of “culture.”

Tyson’s most notable work is certainly her translation of “Russia” by Theodore Gautier. The 600-page volume, translated from French, has been made widely accessible on the internet today, and meeting minutes from the early 1900s indicate that the book was warmly received by critics, the public, and the Club itself.

In addition to this looming volume, Tyson is known to have published several translations of short stories, from the French and Italian, notably. Meeting minutes indicate, though, that Tyson spoke French, Italian, German, Russian, and Spanish, in combination with her native English. Certainly, Mrs. Tyson was very well-educated, and worthy of her title of Chairman of the Committee on Translations, which she held until stepping down from the position in 1910 due to her frequent absence from Baltimore. It was also during the timespan from 1902-1909 that Tyson published Russia and the short stories that I have so far encountered in my research.

Mrs. Tyson seemed particularly enamored with the Italian language and culture, and meeting minutes indicate a concentrated fascination with the author Matilde Serao. Mrs. Tyson translated and shared with the Club several works by this author, one of which, “Sister Giovanna of the Cross,” was published in Littell’s Living Age in 1901. Meeting minutes indicate that it was an honor to be published in this esteemed magazine, and the elegant work of Mrs. Tyson speaks for itself. In a rather scandalous excerpt from the story, Clementia, a young woman, bluntly explains to Sister Giovanna, her aunt, that

married women too have lovers. I wish them joy and think they had better keep to their proper place. The lover of our portress for example, who you know is married, is a policeman, who comes to her house every evening and finds a cup of coffee and glass of wine waiting for him. On the second floor, the lawyer named Gasperle receives a woman–married too–who comes two or three times a week after nightfall and does not go away until the next morning.”

The dynamic characters of the story are perhaps what prompted Tyson’s interest in translating the works of Serao, and it is clear that, contrary to the conservative nature of the WLCB, Tyson enjoyed such bold literature.

While I am still learning more about Florence MacIntyre Tyson, I am already thoroughly intrigued by her character, and I looking forward to continued intimacy with her work.