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=                           Susan_Wallace                            =
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                            Introduction
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Susan Arnold Elston Wallace (December 25, 1830 - October 1, 1907) was
an American author and poet from Crawfordsville, Indiana. In addition
to writing travel articles for several American magazines and
newspapers, Wallace published six books, five of which contain
collected essays from her travels in the New Mexico Territory, Europe,
and the Middle East in the 1880s: 'The Land of the Pueblos' (1888),
'The Storied Sea' (1883), 'The Repose in Egypt: A Medley' (1888),
'Along the Bosphorus, and Other Sketches' (1898), and 'The City of the
King: What the Child Jesus Saw and Heard' (1903). She was also the
wife of Lew Wallace, a lawyer, American Civil War general, politician,
author and diplomat. Susan completed the manuscript of Lew Wallace's
two-volume autobiography following his death in 1905, with the
assistance of Mary Hannah Krout, another Crawfordsville author.
Wallace died in Crawfordsville in 1907.


                      Early life and education
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Susan Arnold Elston was born on December 25, 1830, in Crawfordsville,
Indiana. She was the third daughter, the fourth of nine children, born
to wealthy and influential parents, Isaac Compton Elston, a
Crawfordsville dry goods merchant, and Maria Eveline (Akin) Elston,
whose family were Quakers from upstate New York. Susan was educated at
home in Crawfordsville and at Dr. Gibbons' Friends' Boarding School in
Poughkeepsie, New York. While at boarding school, she studied
literature, geometry, and writing, but preferred music, especially
playing guitar and piano.


                        Marriage and family
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Susan married Lew Wallace on May 6, 1852. The couple first met in 1848
at the home of Joanna and Henry S. Lane in Crawfordsville. Joanna was
Susan's older sister; Lane was Wallace's former military commander
during the Mexican War and became one of his closest associates. At
the time of their courtship, Wallace was a prosecuting attorney in
Covington, Indiana. His earlier reputation for getting into trouble
caused Susan's father to disapprove of him initially, but the
courtship continued. Susan accepted Wallace's marriage proposal in
1849. Three years after their first meeting, the couple were married
at the Elston family home in Crawfordsville. Late in life she still
described him as "my first, last, and only love."

The Wallaces established their first home at Covington, where Lew
continued to practice law, but moved to Crawfordsville in 1853, to be
closer to her family. The couple had one son, Henry Lane Wallace, born
on February 17, 1853, in Covington. He was named for their
brother-in-law, Henry Smith Lane.

Although Susan was a talented writer and musician, she preferred to
remain largely in the shadows as her husband's companion and advisor.
Lew became a major general during the American Civil War, who was
later appointed governor to the New Mexico Territory and served as the
U.S. Minister to the Ottoman Empire. He also went on to become one of
the most celebrated American authors of the 19th century, following
the publication of 'Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ' (1880).

On occasion, Susan accompanied her husband to his various posts, but
Crawfordsville remained their home. In February 1879, Susan joined Lew
in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he served as the territorial governor,
but she disliked its dusty, dry climate, and returned to Indiana in
October. In 1881 Susan accompanied her husband to his diplomatic post
in Constantinople, Turkey, and traveled throughout Europe, Egypt, and
the Holy Land during their years abroad. When Lew's diplomatic
assignment ended in 1885, the Wallaces returned to Crawfordsville,
where Susan was prominent in the town's literary community. She
befriended other local writers, including Mary Hannah Krout and her
sister, Caroline Virginia Krout, and continued to write.


                               Career
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Susan Wallace was a published author long before her husband was. "The
Patter of Little Feet", one of her best known poems, first appeared in
the 'Cincinnati Daily Gazette' on April 17, 1858. Largely forgotten by
modern readers, her works focused on home, friends, travel, and
Christianity. She was also very interested in women's roles,
especially after traveling with her husband to Turkey and the Middle
East. Her travel writing is described as more reflective and poetic
than a detailed travel guide. She offered romantic and sentimental
narratives of her travels in addition to vivid descriptions, with
touches of realism and humor.

Susan's writing first appeared in American magazines and newspapers,
but collected essays later appeared in her books, which were published
between 1883 and 1903, after she had reached the age of fifty. During
her brief time in the New Mexico Territory in 1879, Susan described
her experiences in a series of articles that she had previously sent
to the 'Atlantic Monthly', the 'New York Independent', and the 'New
York Tribune'. A collection of these essays were later included in her
book, 'The Land of the Pueblo' (1888). Susan also wrote about her
travels abroad for American magazines and syndicated newspapers.
Collected essays were later published in four books: 'The Storied Sea'
(1883), 'A Repose in Egypt, A Medley' (1888), 'Along the Bosphorus,
and Other Sketches' (1898), and 'The City of the King: What the Child
Jesus Saw and Heard' (1903). 'Ginèvra; or, The Old Oak Chest, A
Christmas Story' (1866), which is based on a Samuel Rogers poem,
initially appeared in 1884 in the 'New York Independent'.

In addition to her own writing, Susan was involved in her husband's
literary career. Lew acknowledged Susan's role as his editor, reader,
and critic, and attributed much of his success in writing to her
literary criticism. Wallace was writing his memoirs when he died in
1905, and Susan completed his manuscript with assistance from Mary
Hannah Krout, another Crawfordsville author. Using correspondence,
speeches, notes, and other materials, they added another 204 pages to
his two-volume work, 'An Autobiography' (1906). In volume two, page
796, of the 1906 edition, Susan added: "And here the Autobiography
ends. What follows must be a plain record of facts without attempt at
polish or effect."


                          Death and legacy
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Susan Wallace died in Crawfordsville on October 1, 1907, at the age of
seventy-six. She is buried beside her husband in Crawfordsville's Oak
Hill Cemetery. A collection of her papers are preserved as part of the
Wallace Collection at the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis.


                           Selected works
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* 'The Storied Sea' (Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1883).
* 'Ginèvra; or, The Old Oak Chest, A Christmas Story' (New York:
Worthington, 1887) [illustrated by Lew Wallace].
* 'The Land of the Pueblos' (New York: John B. Alden, 1888) [with
illustrations by Lew Wallace].
* 'The Repose in Egypt: A Medley' (New York: John B. Alden, 1888).
* 'Along the Bosphorus and Other Sketches' (Chicago: Rand, McNally and
Co., 1898).
* 'The City of the King: What the Child Jesus Saw and Heard'
(Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1903).


                             References
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* Russo, Dorothy Ritter, and Thelma Lois Sullivan (1952). "Susan
Arnold Elston Wallace." In 'Bibliographical Studies of Seven Authors
of Crawfordsville, Indiana', 417-46. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical
Society.
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                           External links
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*
* [http://www.ben-hur.com/index.html General Lew Wallace Study and
Museum]
*


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