Mary K. Buck

Mary K. Buck
"A Woman of the Century"
"A Woman of the Century"
BornMarjánka Knížková
(1849-04-01)April 1, 1849
Ondreor, Bohemia
Died28 December 1901(1901-12-28) (aged 52)
Traverse City, Michigan, U.S.
Occupationshort story writer
Spouse
Charles Kimball Buck
​
​
(m. 1874)​
Children3
Signature

Mary K. Buck (née Knížková; April 1, 1849 – December 28, 1901) was a Bohemian-born American author. She was an officer of the Michigan Woman's Press Association.

Biography

Marjánka Knížková was born in Ondreor,[where? — see talk page] Bohemia, April 1, 1849. Her parents, Josef Knížek (1819–1902) and Anna (Janoušková) Knížková (1828–?),[1] emigrated to the U.S. when Mary was five years old and for several years, lived in New York City, where she went to school and acquired her knowledge of the English language. From New York, they removed to Traverse City, Michigan, which thereafter was her home.[2]

From childhood, she was fond of books, reading eagerly whatever came to hand. English books were rare in her family home, but the town library, of which she was a patron, was well stocked. Early in life, she developed a talent for composition, especially of fiction, which was encouraged by her teachers and friends.[2]

On June 7, 1874, in Traverse City, she married Charles Kimball Buck (1851–1906).[1] They had three children.[2] She was a shrewd business woman working dailly in her husband's office.[3]

(undated)

Buck wrote much for publication. During the summer of 1891, she published, together with M. E. C. Bates, a book of short sketches entitled Along Traverse Shores. She contributed to the Congregationalist, the Advance, the Chicago Inter Ocean , the Portland Transcript, Good Housekeeping, St. Nicholas, and many other periodicals.[2]

Buck was always interested in the advancement of women.[2] In 1901, she served as vice-president of the Michigan Woman's Press Association.[4] She was also a member of the Woman's Club, the Ladies' Literary Association, and the city library committee.[5]

Mary K. Buck died of diabetes in Traverse City, Michigan, December 28, 1901.[5]

Selected works

  • Along Traverse Shores, 1891 (with M. E. C. Bates)
  • Songs from the Northland, 1902

References

  1. ^ a b "Mary Knizek April 1850 – 28 December 1901 • L7HH-1Y2". familysearch.org. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). "BUCK, Mrs. Mary K.". A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life. Charles Wells Moulton. p. 134. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Moulton, Charles Wells, ed. (1893). "Mary K. Buck, by Mrs. E. L. Bates". The Magazine of Poetry and Literary Review. C. W. Moulton: 53. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  4. ^ N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual. N.W. Ayer and Son. 1902. p. 998. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Obituary, Mary K. Buck. Died 28 December 1901, Traverse City, Michigan". Detroit Free Press. 29 December 1901. p. 3. Retrieved 11 December 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

External links