Born:
2 Dec 1861, Grand Rapids, Wood County, Ohio
Parents:
John Encil MacGowan (1830-1903)
Malvina Marie Johnson (1836-1896)
Married:
William Benjamin Cooke on 17 Feb 1887 in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee. Divorced 1 October 1908, Hamilton County, Tennessee
Children:
Helen MacGowan Cooke (1895-1945)
Katharine Ignacia Cooke (1900-1971)
Died:
24 Jun 1944, at the home of her Daughter, Katherine Ignacia Cooke in Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California
Burial:
Cremated. Ashes interred in coffin with Sister, Alice L MacGowan, in a Los Gatos cemetery upon her death on 10 Mar 1947.
* * * * * * * *
Excerpts from The McGowan - Hartzell Family History by Ruth McGowan Cowart, circa 1970 on Grace and her Sister, Alice.
(John Encil) McGowan, during his working years, followed the example of his employer, by helping his children to get established in some professional field. In partnership with his son, Gordon Francis (whom his father called 'Frank'), and his son‐in‐law, William Benjamin Cooke, a print shop was bought in Chattanooga. Cooke served as salesman, the daughter Grace did the bookkeeping and the son served as manager.
Both Grace and Alice were considered exceptionally bright girls. Both were schoolteachers, beginning teaching while yet in their teens. After Grace's marriage to Cooke she became the bookkeeper for the printing shop owned jointly by her father, brother and husband, while Alice continued to teach.
When Alice was 15 she had married a doctor, a man much older than herself, but the marriage was a failure. Unhappy and disillusioned she left him, got a divorce and returned to her parents' home. The lot of a divorcee was not very pleasant in those days and so as to be among people who would know nothing of her past, she accepted a job as governess on the famous Goodnight Ranch in Texas. After her mother's death she returned to Chattanooga and taught in the city schools there.
In his Will, John Encil McGowan gave the family home to Alice with the suggestion that she not sell it, but retain it for the use of herself and Grace – the brother having died unmarried and leaving no heirs. After the brother's death the print shop had been sold and Grace had separated from her husband.
The sisters had had some success with their writings – especially Alice, who, at this time was enjoying the acclaim of her widely accepted book, "The Return". Grace also had published some of her work.
Between them they decided to sell the home and go to Englewood, New Jersey and join a writers' colony sponsored by Upton Sinclair, Sinclair devoting much of his writing to Social Grievances, and both women were very civic minded. Sinclair had a very large estate, which he called "Helicon Hall". There is no available record of how long the sisters lived there, but probably not very long. They wakened one night to find the building on fire. They were in an upstairs wing and the flames were so far advanced that all escape was cut off except through the windows. One by one Grace lowered her two little girls to the crowd below and then she and Alice jumped out the window into nets held by rescuers. Both women sustained fractured vertebra and Grace was burned also and injured worse in the jump. For a long time it was doubtful whether she would survive. Her husband, Wm. B. Cooke sued Sinclair, contending that he had induced Grace to leave him, but nothing came of the suit and he and Grace finally divorced.
Shorer tells some of this experience in the Biography of Sinclair Lewis, as Lewis was a struggling young writer and was paying his living expenses at the Hall by serving as a janitor. It was to him that Grace lowered her two little girls.
Grace's granddaughter, Charis Harris (Helen Charis Wilson), describes the two sisters in these words,
"Psychologically they were, I suppose, complementary: Alice was a fiery, short‐tempered, get‐ up‐and‐go type, while Grace was mild, retiring and self‐effacing. But they were both extremely witty, charming, entertaining companions – a great delight to be with and to talk to."
Quite a bit of their writings dealt with serious problems. "Grapple", a story of Illinois coal regions and the poverty of the miners, authored by Alice, is an example.
Some of Alice's other books included "Power and The Glory", "Judith of the Cumberlands", "Sword in The Mountains", "Girl of the Plains Country", and "Who is This Man?".
Grace wrote many books for children and young people: "Sunny Bunny Rabbit and His Friends", "Dolosa Bonbright's Christmas Gift", "The Doings of The Dollivars", "The Fortunes of John Hawk", to name a few. However she is best known for her novel, "The Man Behind the Mask".
After Grace and Alice recovered from the injuries received as a result of the fire, they moved to New York State, just outside New York City and lived there two or three years, after which they moved to San Francisco. While living here Alice began to write mystery stories in collaboration with a man from Michigan, Perry Newberry, who was an illustrator. It was in this period in partnership with Newberry that she wrote, "The Million Dollar Suitcase" and "Shaken Down" (this dealing with political intrigue in city government). "Mystery Woman" was another.
Sometime in this period Grace decided to move to an artists colony at Carmel, California. Carmel at that time was just a small village and quite rural. It had no paved streets or sidewalks or sanitation facilities, but it was peaceful and quiet where Grace could work at her writing and her youngest daughter, Kathryn, had ample room to play.
The sisters Alice and Grace MacGowan Cooke are buried in Los Gatos, California. Grace's body was cremated but on the death of Alice, Grace's ashes were placed in Alice's coffin.
2 Dec 1861, Grand Rapids, Wood County, Ohio
Parents:
John Encil MacGowan (1830-1903)
Malvina Marie Johnson (1836-1896)
Married:
William Benjamin Cooke on 17 Feb 1887 in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee. Divorced 1 October 1908, Hamilton County, Tennessee
Children:
Helen MacGowan Cooke (1895-1945)
Katharine Ignacia Cooke (1900-1971)
Died:
24 Jun 1944, at the home of her Daughter, Katherine Ignacia Cooke in Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California
Burial:
Cremated. Ashes interred in coffin with Sister, Alice L MacGowan, in a Los Gatos cemetery upon her death on 10 Mar 1947.
* * * * * * * *
Excerpts from The McGowan - Hartzell Family History by Ruth McGowan Cowart, circa 1970 on Grace and her Sister, Alice.
(John Encil) McGowan, during his working years, followed the example of his employer, by helping his children to get established in some professional field. In partnership with his son, Gordon Francis (whom his father called 'Frank'), and his son‐in‐law, William Benjamin Cooke, a print shop was bought in Chattanooga. Cooke served as salesman, the daughter Grace did the bookkeeping and the son served as manager.
Both Grace and Alice were considered exceptionally bright girls. Both were schoolteachers, beginning teaching while yet in their teens. After Grace's marriage to Cooke she became the bookkeeper for the printing shop owned jointly by her father, brother and husband, while Alice continued to teach.
When Alice was 15 she had married a doctor, a man much older than herself, but the marriage was a failure. Unhappy and disillusioned she left him, got a divorce and returned to her parents' home. The lot of a divorcee was not very pleasant in those days and so as to be among people who would know nothing of her past, she accepted a job as governess on the famous Goodnight Ranch in Texas. After her mother's death she returned to Chattanooga and taught in the city schools there.
In his Will, John Encil McGowan gave the family home to Alice with the suggestion that she not sell it, but retain it for the use of herself and Grace – the brother having died unmarried and leaving no heirs. After the brother's death the print shop had been sold and Grace had separated from her husband.
The sisters had had some success with their writings – especially Alice, who, at this time was enjoying the acclaim of her widely accepted book, "The Return". Grace also had published some of her work.
Between them they decided to sell the home and go to Englewood, New Jersey and join a writers' colony sponsored by Upton Sinclair, Sinclair devoting much of his writing to Social Grievances, and both women were very civic minded. Sinclair had a very large estate, which he called "Helicon Hall". There is no available record of how long the sisters lived there, but probably not very long. They wakened one night to find the building on fire. They were in an upstairs wing and the flames were so far advanced that all escape was cut off except through the windows. One by one Grace lowered her two little girls to the crowd below and then she and Alice jumped out the window into nets held by rescuers. Both women sustained fractured vertebra and Grace was burned also and injured worse in the jump. For a long time it was doubtful whether she would survive. Her husband, Wm. B. Cooke sued Sinclair, contending that he had induced Grace to leave him, but nothing came of the suit and he and Grace finally divorced.
Shorer tells some of this experience in the Biography of Sinclair Lewis, as Lewis was a struggling young writer and was paying his living expenses at the Hall by serving as a janitor. It was to him that Grace lowered her two little girls.
Grace's granddaughter, Charis Harris (Helen Charis Wilson), describes the two sisters in these words,
"Psychologically they were, I suppose, complementary: Alice was a fiery, short‐tempered, get‐ up‐and‐go type, while Grace was mild, retiring and self‐effacing. But they were both extremely witty, charming, entertaining companions – a great delight to be with and to talk to."
Quite a bit of their writings dealt with serious problems. "Grapple", a story of Illinois coal regions and the poverty of the miners, authored by Alice, is an example.
Some of Alice's other books included "Power and The Glory", "Judith of the Cumberlands", "Sword in The Mountains", "Girl of the Plains Country", and "Who is This Man?".
Grace wrote many books for children and young people: "Sunny Bunny Rabbit and His Friends", "Dolosa Bonbright's Christmas Gift", "The Doings of The Dollivars", "The Fortunes of John Hawk", to name a few. However she is best known for her novel, "The Man Behind the Mask".
After Grace and Alice recovered from the injuries received as a result of the fire, they moved to New York State, just outside New York City and lived there two or three years, after which they moved to San Francisco. While living here Alice began to write mystery stories in collaboration with a man from Michigan, Perry Newberry, who was an illustrator. It was in this period in partnership with Newberry that she wrote, "The Million Dollar Suitcase" and "Shaken Down" (this dealing with political intrigue in city government). "Mystery Woman" was another.
Sometime in this period Grace decided to move to an artists colony at Carmel, California. Carmel at that time was just a small village and quite rural. It had no paved streets or sidewalks or sanitation facilities, but it was peaceful and quiet where Grace could work at her writing and her youngest daughter, Kathryn, had ample room to play.
The sisters Alice and Grace MacGowan Cooke are buried in Los Gatos, California. Grace's body was cremated but on the death of Alice, Grace's ashes were placed in Alice's coffin.
Born:
2 Dec 1861, Grand Rapids, Wood County, Ohio
Parents:
John Encil MacGowan (1830-1903)
Malvina Marie Johnson (1836-1896)
Married:
William Benjamin Cooke on 17 Feb 1887 in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee. Divorced 1 October 1908, Hamilton County, Tennessee
Children:
Helen MacGowan Cooke (1895-1945)
Katharine Ignacia Cooke (1900-1971)
Died:
24 Jun 1944, at the home of her Daughter, Katherine Ignacia Cooke in Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California
Burial:
Cremated. Ashes interred in coffin with Sister, Alice L MacGowan, in a Los Gatos cemetery upon her death on 10 Mar 1947.
* * * * * * * *
Excerpts from The McGowan - Hartzell Family History by Ruth McGowan Cowart, circa 1970 on Grace and her Sister, Alice.
(John Encil) McGowan, during his working years, followed the example of his employer, by helping his children to get established in some professional field. In partnership with his son, Gordon Francis (whom his father called 'Frank'), and his son‐in‐law, William Benjamin Cooke, a print shop was bought in Chattanooga. Cooke served as salesman, the daughter Grace did the bookkeeping and the son served as manager.
Both Grace and Alice were considered exceptionally bright girls. Both were schoolteachers, beginning teaching while yet in their teens. After Grace's marriage to Cooke she became the bookkeeper for the printing shop owned jointly by her father, brother and husband, while Alice continued to teach.
When Alice was 15 she had married a doctor, a man much older than herself, but the marriage was a failure. Unhappy and disillusioned she left him, got a divorce and returned to her parents' home. The lot of a divorcee was not very pleasant in those days and so as to be among people who would know nothing of her past, she accepted a job as governess on the famous Goodnight Ranch in Texas. After her mother's death she returned to Chattanooga and taught in the city schools there.
In his Will, John Encil McGowan gave the family home to Alice with the suggestion that she not sell it, but retain it for the use of herself and Grace – the brother having died unmarried and leaving no heirs. After the brother's death the print shop had been sold and Grace had separated from her husband.
The sisters had had some success with their writings – especially Alice, who, at this time was enjoying the acclaim of her widely accepted book, "The Return". Grace also had published some of her work.
Between them they decided to sell the home and go to Englewood, New Jersey and join a writers' colony sponsored by Upton Sinclair, Sinclair devoting much of his writing to Social Grievances, and both women were very civic minded. Sinclair had a very large estate, which he called "Helicon Hall". There is no available record of how long the sisters lived there, but probably not very long. They wakened one night to find the building on fire. They were in an upstairs wing and the flames were so far advanced that all escape was cut off except through the windows. One by one Grace lowered her two little girls to the crowd below and then she and Alice jumped out the window into nets held by rescuers. Both women sustained fractured vertebra and Grace was burned also and injured worse in the jump. For a long time it was doubtful whether she would survive. Her husband, Wm. B. Cooke sued Sinclair, contending that he had induced Grace to leave him, but nothing came of the suit and he and Grace finally divorced.
Shorer tells some of this experience in the Biography of Sinclair Lewis, as Lewis was a struggling young writer and was paying his living expenses at the Hall by serving as a janitor. It was to him that Grace lowered her two little girls.
Grace's granddaughter, Charis Harris (Helen Charis Wilson), describes the two sisters in these words,
"Psychologically they were, I suppose, complementary: Alice was a fiery, short‐tempered, get‐ up‐and‐go type, while Grace was mild, retiring and self‐effacing. But they were both extremely witty, charming, entertaining companions – a great delight to be with and to talk to."
Quite a bit of their writings dealt with serious problems. "Grapple", a story of Illinois coal regions and the poverty of the miners, authored by Alice, is an example.
Some of Alice's other books included "Power and The Glory", "Judith of the Cumberlands", "Sword in The Mountains", "Girl of the Plains Country", and "Who is This Man?".
Grace wrote many books for children and young people: "Sunny Bunny Rabbit and His Friends", "Dolosa Bonbright's Christmas Gift", "The Doings of The Dollivars", "The Fortunes of John Hawk", to name a few. However she is best known for her novel, "The Man Behind the Mask".
After Grace and Alice recovered from the injuries received as a result of the fire, they moved to New York State, just outside New York City and lived there two or three years, after which they moved to San Francisco. While living here Alice began to write mystery stories in collaboration with a man from Michigan, Perry Newberry, who was an illustrator. It was in this period in partnership with Newberry that she wrote, "The Million Dollar Suitcase" and "Shaken Down" (this dealing with political intrigue in city government). "Mystery Woman" was another.
Sometime in this period Grace decided to move to an artists colony at Carmel, California. Carmel at that time was just a small village and quite rural. It had no paved streets or sidewalks or sanitation facilities, but it was peaceful and quiet where Grace could work at her writing and her youngest daughter, Kathryn, had ample room to play.
The sisters Alice and Grace MacGowan Cooke are buried in Los Gatos, California. Grace's body was cremated but on the death of Alice, Grace's ashes were placed in Alice's coffin.
2 Dec 1861, Grand Rapids, Wood County, Ohio
Parents:
John Encil MacGowan (1830-1903)
Malvina Marie Johnson (1836-1896)
Married:
William Benjamin Cooke on 17 Feb 1887 in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee. Divorced 1 October 1908, Hamilton County, Tennessee
Children:
Helen MacGowan Cooke (1895-1945)
Katharine Ignacia Cooke (1900-1971)
Died:
24 Jun 1944, at the home of her Daughter, Katherine Ignacia Cooke in Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California
Burial:
Cremated. Ashes interred in coffin with Sister, Alice L MacGowan, in a Los Gatos cemetery upon her death on 10 Mar 1947.
* * * * * * * *
Excerpts from The McGowan - Hartzell Family History by Ruth McGowan Cowart, circa 1970 on Grace and her Sister, Alice.
(John Encil) McGowan, during his working years, followed the example of his employer, by helping his children to get established in some professional field. In partnership with his son, Gordon Francis (whom his father called 'Frank'), and his son‐in‐law, William Benjamin Cooke, a print shop was bought in Chattanooga. Cooke served as salesman, the daughter Grace did the bookkeeping and the son served as manager.
Both Grace and Alice were considered exceptionally bright girls. Both were schoolteachers, beginning teaching while yet in their teens. After Grace's marriage to Cooke she became the bookkeeper for the printing shop owned jointly by her father, brother and husband, while Alice continued to teach.
When Alice was 15 she had married a doctor, a man much older than herself, but the marriage was a failure. Unhappy and disillusioned she left him, got a divorce and returned to her parents' home. The lot of a divorcee was not very pleasant in those days and so as to be among people who would know nothing of her past, she accepted a job as governess on the famous Goodnight Ranch in Texas. After her mother's death she returned to Chattanooga and taught in the city schools there.
In his Will, John Encil McGowan gave the family home to Alice with the suggestion that she not sell it, but retain it for the use of herself and Grace – the brother having died unmarried and leaving no heirs. After the brother's death the print shop had been sold and Grace had separated from her husband.
The sisters had had some success with their writings – especially Alice, who, at this time was enjoying the acclaim of her widely accepted book, "The Return". Grace also had published some of her work.
Between them they decided to sell the home and go to Englewood, New Jersey and join a writers' colony sponsored by Upton Sinclair, Sinclair devoting much of his writing to Social Grievances, and both women were very civic minded. Sinclair had a very large estate, which he called "Helicon Hall". There is no available record of how long the sisters lived there, but probably not very long. They wakened one night to find the building on fire. They were in an upstairs wing and the flames were so far advanced that all escape was cut off except through the windows. One by one Grace lowered her two little girls to the crowd below and then she and Alice jumped out the window into nets held by rescuers. Both women sustained fractured vertebra and Grace was burned also and injured worse in the jump. For a long time it was doubtful whether she would survive. Her husband, Wm. B. Cooke sued Sinclair, contending that he had induced Grace to leave him, but nothing came of the suit and he and Grace finally divorced.
Shorer tells some of this experience in the Biography of Sinclair Lewis, as Lewis was a struggling young writer and was paying his living expenses at the Hall by serving as a janitor. It was to him that Grace lowered her two little girls.
Grace's granddaughter, Charis Harris (Helen Charis Wilson), describes the two sisters in these words,
"Psychologically they were, I suppose, complementary: Alice was a fiery, short‐tempered, get‐ up‐and‐go type, while Grace was mild, retiring and self‐effacing. But they were both extremely witty, charming, entertaining companions – a great delight to be with and to talk to."
Quite a bit of their writings dealt with serious problems. "Grapple", a story of Illinois coal regions and the poverty of the miners, authored by Alice, is an example.
Some of Alice's other books included "Power and The Glory", "Judith of the Cumberlands", "Sword in The Mountains", "Girl of the Plains Country", and "Who is This Man?".
Grace wrote many books for children and young people: "Sunny Bunny Rabbit and His Friends", "Dolosa Bonbright's Christmas Gift", "The Doings of The Dollivars", "The Fortunes of John Hawk", to name a few. However she is best known for her novel, "The Man Behind the Mask".
After Grace and Alice recovered from the injuries received as a result of the fire, they moved to New York State, just outside New York City and lived there two or three years, after which they moved to San Francisco. While living here Alice began to write mystery stories in collaboration with a man from Michigan, Perry Newberry, who was an illustrator. It was in this period in partnership with Newberry that she wrote, "The Million Dollar Suitcase" and "Shaken Down" (this dealing with political intrigue in city government). "Mystery Woman" was another.
Sometime in this period Grace decided to move to an artists colony at Carmel, California. Carmel at that time was just a small village and quite rural. It had no paved streets or sidewalks or sanitation facilities, but it was peaceful and quiet where Grace could work at her writing and her youngest daughter, Kathryn, had ample room to play.
The sisters Alice and Grace MacGowan Cooke are buried in Los Gatos, California. Grace's body was cremated but on the death of Alice, Grace's ashes were placed in Alice's coffin.
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