Davis, Mollie Evelyn Moore (1844–1909)

Born Mary Evalina Moore on April 12, 1844, in Talladega, Alabama, she changed her name to Mollie Evelyn Moore at age 14. In 1855 her family moved to Texas, and she was educated at home with her brother. When she was 16, she began writing for newspapers, and soon after, her poetry became well known. In 1867 her family moved to Galveston, Texas, and Minding the Gap, her first book of verse, was published.

Mollie married Thomas E. Davis, a former Confederate major, in 1874. In 1879 Thomas was made associate editor of the New Orleans Times, so they moved to New Orleans. There Mollie continued to have her poems and sketches published in Harper's and the Saturday Evening Post, and she wrote novels. She became ...