Anna Eliot Ticknor was an author and educator from Boston, Massachusetts. In 1873, Ticknor founded the Society to Encourage Studies at Home

Society to Encourage Studies at Home

The Society to Encourage Studies at Home was the first correspondence school in the United States. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts by Anna Eliot Ticknor.-History:...

 which was the first correspondence school in the United States. She is attributed as being a pioneer of distance learning in the United States, and the mother of correspondence schools.
She served as one of the original appointees to the Massachusetts Free Public Library Commission, which was the first of its kind in the United States.

Family

Anna Eliot Ticknor was the oldest child of George Ticknor

George Ticknor

George Ticknor was an American academician and Hispanist, specializing in the subject areas of languages and literature. He is known for his scholarly work on the history and criticism of Spanish literature....

 and Anna (Eliot) Ticknor. She was born on June 1, 1823. Her siblings were George Haven Ticknor, who died during his childhood at age 5; Susan Perkins Ticknor, who died in infancy; and Eliza Sullivan (Ticknor) Dexter (1833–1880).

Her paternal grandfather was Elisha Ticknor

Elisha Ticknor

Elisha Ticknor was an educator and merchant and the father of Boston author George Ticknor.-Biography:...

 who was the impetus for the system of free primary schools in Boston, and one of the founders of the first savings bank, Provident Institution for Savings in the Town of Boston

Provident Institution for Savings in the Town of Boston

The Provident Institution for Savings in Boston, Massachusetts, was the first chartered savings bank in the United States. James Savage and others founded the bank on the belief that "savings banks would enable the less fortunate classes of society to better themselves in a manner which would...

, in the United States. Her father was a Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 professor. Her mother was an writer. Her maternal grandfather was Samuel Eliot, a Boston merchant. Her mother's brother, Samuel A. Eliot was the treasure of Harvard College.

Author

In 1896, Ticknor wrote a children's book, An American Family in Paris: With Fifty-Eight Illustrations of Historical Monuments and Familiar Scenes.

The Society to Encourage Studies at Home

In Boston, Massachusetts in 1873, Ticknor founded a organization of women who taught women students through the mail. Her society was the first correspondence school in the United States, and an early effort to offer higher education to women. To assist the student in obtaining the needed study materials, in 1875 a lending library was established. The collection gradually grew to contain several thousand volumes. The purpose of the study varied between the different students with some people being young women with minimal schooling and others being educated women seeking an advanced learning opportunity.

Death and legacy

Anna Ticknor died on October 5, 1896. After her death, the Society to Encourage Studies at Home released a history of the organization as a tribute to her. The book contains letters exchanged between Ticknor, students, and other people associated with the organization and gives an overview of the workings of the Society and the impact that it had on its students. The Society ceased operating after her death, and the Anna Ticknor Library Association was formed to circulate the former Society's books, photographs, and other materials to a larger group of interest learners.

External links

• The Ticknor Society
• http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=mediatype%3A(texts)%20-contributor%3Agutenberg%20AND%20(subject%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20Anna%20Eliot%2C%201823-1896%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20A%2E%20E%2E%20%28Anna%20Eliot%29%2C%201823-1896%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20Anna%20E%2E%20%28Anna%20Eliot%29%2C%201823-1896%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20Anna%20Eliot%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20A%2E%20E%2E%20%28Anna%20Eliot%29%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20Anna%20E%2E%20%28Anna%20Eliot%29%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Anna%20Eliot%20Ticknor%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Anna%20E%2E%20Ticknor%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22A%2E%20E%2E%20Ticknor%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20Anna%20Eliot%2C%201823-1896%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20Anna%20Eliot%2C%20Sir%2C%201823-1896%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20A%2E%20E%2E%20%28Anna%20Eliot%29%2C%201823-1896%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20Anna%20E%2E%20%28Anna%20Eliot%29%2C%201823-1896%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20Anna%20Eliot%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20A%2E%20E%2E%20%28Anna%20Eliot%29%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20Anna%20E%2E%20%28Anna%20Eliot%29%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Anna%20Eliot%20Ticknor%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Anna%20E%2E%20Ticknor%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22A%2E%20E%2E%20Ticknor%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Anna%20Eliot%20Ticknor%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Anna%20E%2E%20Ticknor%22%20OR%20title%3A%22A%2E%20E%2E%20Ticknor%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Anna%20Eliot%20Ticknor%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Anna%20E%2E%20Ticknor%22%20OR%20description%3A%22A%2E%20E%2E%20Ticknor%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20Anna%20Eliot%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20A%2E%20E%2E%20%28Anna%20Eliot%29%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Ticknor%2C%20Anna%20E%2E%20%28Anna%20Eliot%29%22)Works by or about Anna Eliot Ticknor] at Internet Archive
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