Annie Maria Barnes, who also wrote under the name Cousin Annie, was an American journalist, editor, and author from South Carolina. She was born on May 28, 1857, and died on October 21, 1933, or December 31, 1943. At age eleven, she wrote an article for the Atlanta Constitution. By age fifteen, she was writing regularly for that newspaper. In 1887, she began publishing The Acanthus, a juvenile paper from the Southern United States. Barnes wrote novels starting in 1887, including Some Lowly Lives and the Heights They Reached, and continued writing until at least 1927, with A Knight of Carolina being one of her later works.

Early life and education

Annie Maria Barnes was born on May 28, 1857, in Columbia, South Carolina. She was the daughter of James Daniel and Henrietta Jackson Neville Barnes. Her mother, a Neville, had ancestors who were directly related to the Earl of Warwick. After the American Civil War ended, the Barnes family, like many Southerners, had little money.

Barnes attended public schools in Atlanta, Georgia. Her family included editors, and she became interested in writing. At age 11, she wrote an article for the Atlanta Constitution, which was published and received praise from the editor. By age 15, she was writing regularly for that newspaper.

Career

Before reaching middle age, Barnes became well-known for writing books for young readers in the southern United States. Many of her early works were published in the Sunday School Visitor, a children's magazine connected to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, based in Nashville, Tennessee. Barnes worked as a junior editor for the Woman's Board of Missions, part of the same church, where she managed the church's children's magazine and the materials sent every three months for religious education. She often wrote stories for important magazines, such as Godey's Lady's Book. Barnes also edited two publications for young readers: Young Christian Worker and The Little Worker, both produced by the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1887, she started a children's magazine called The Acanthus, published in Atlanta from 1877 to 1884. This was one of only two children's magazines published in the South at that time. Although the magazine was well-written, it struggled financially, like many other southern publications.

Barnes's first book was Some Lowly Lives, published in Nashville in 1885. She later wrote The Life of David Livingston (Nashville, Brigham and Smith; 1887) and Scenes in Pioneer Methodism (Nashville, Brigham and Smith; 1889). She also wrote The Children of the Kalahari, a children's story about Africa, which became popular in both the United States and England. In 1892, she published two books: The House of Grass and Atlanta Ferryman: A Story of the Chattahoochee. Among her many popular stories were Gospel Among the Slaves, The Ferry Maid of the Chattahoochee (Philadelphia, Penn Publishing Company), How Achon-hoah Found the Light (Richmond, Presbyterian Committee of Publication), Matouchon, The Outstretched Hand, Carmio, Little Burden-Sharers, Chonite, Marti, The King's Gift, The Red Miriok, The Little Lady of the Fort, Little Betty Blew, Mistress Moppet, A Lass of Dorchester (Boston, Lee and Shepard), Isilda, Tatong, The Laurel Token, and others. Some of her works were published under the pen name "Cousin Annie."

Book reviews

The book Izilda by the Presbyterian Committee of Publication in Richmond, Virginia, was reviewed by the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The review described it as a story for girls set in São Paulo, Brazil, a place where a growing Protestant mission is active. The story shows the customs and traditions of the people against the background of the Catholic religion. In contrast, it highlights the joyful Christian lives of two Brazilian girls who, through their simple lives in Christ, help others learn about Christianity under the guidance of an American missionary. This book was especially suitable for young women's missionary groups.

The Woman's Foreign Missionary Society also reviewed Tatono, The Little Slave: A Story of Korea by the Presbyterian Publication Committee in Richmond. The review stated that the story has a strong plot, and the events are well developed. The customs and traditions of Korea are deeply woven into the story, and the missionary aspect is essential to the narrative. Even those not interested in missions would read the book for the story, while those already interested would eagerly share it with others to help them learn about Korea, a country that was once very isolated. The author occasionally uses words that sound like they come from the South, but the review called this the best Korean story they had ever seen.