Helen Fuller Orton

Background

Helen Fuller Orton was born on November 1, 1872, in Sanborn, Niagara County, New York, the daughter of Merritt Bond Fuller and Lucy Ann Taylor Fuller. She spent her childhood on a farm in western New York, twelve miles from Niagara Falls. Her parents were teachers and of modest means - her father farmed in summer and taught school in winter.

Education

After graduating in 1893 from high school in Lockport, New York, Helen taught elementary school in Lockport for two years. Later she attended classes at the University of Michigan but without formally enrolling.

Career

Orton wrote her first story, "How Rover Got the Cows Out of the Corn, " in 1920. Her first book, Prince and Rover of Cloverfield Farm (1921), containing fifteen stories, was based on her childhood experience. These simple tales of farm and nature adventures quickly established her reputation as a children's author. Early in her career she also wrote animal stories and whimsical tales. Averaging more than a book a year, she soon began to concentrate on historical works, including The Treasure in the Little Trunk (1932); The Gold-Laced Coat (1934); Hoof-Beats of Freedom (1936); The Secret of the Rosewood Box (1937); The Brave Frontier (1940); A Lad of Old Williamsburg (1938); and The Winding River: A Story of French Émigrés on the Susquehanna (1944). Orton's historical writing was based on careful research. She read old diaries, manuscripts, letters, records, and maps, and visited the sites of her tales.

The locale of her first historical book, The Treasure in the Little Trunk, is the Genesee country in western New York. As in many of her works, Orton added a mild element of mystery. Ten-year-old Patty Armstrong travels with her family by oxcart from their comfortable Vermont farm to frontier country near Lockport, New York. There her father makes a new home in the wilderness, and she recovers a lost heirloom string of gold beads. The Gold-Laced Coat, Orton's second historical story, is a description of French colonial life at Fort Niagara during the French and Indian Wars.

Orton most enjoyed writing mystery stories for readers from seven to ten years old. These included Mystery at the Little Red Schoolhouse (1941); Mystery at the Old Place (1943); Mystery of the Secret Drawer (1945); Mystery up the Chimney (1947); Mystery in the Old Cave (1950); Mystery in the Old Red Barn (1952); and Mystery in the Apple Orchard (1954).

For the most part Orton's writing was well received. Her books provided pleasant, wholesome reading, engrossing enough for children who were just beginning to experience the delight of reading to themselves. Some critics, however, considered her stories overly simple and naive and lacking vigor. She deliberately avoided "crime or violence or anything horrible or offensive" and believed that "in all writing for children sincerity must be the keynote. " In an autobiographical sketch published in 1934, she explained her purpose: "As regards stories for young children . I think the greater part should be stories characterized by repose rather than excitement, and should be made up of incidents taken from real life or of a natural and probable sort. " Many of Orton's books were published in England and also appeared in foreign-language editions. Her sales eventually reached more than a million copies. She also wrote stories and serials for children's magazines and lectured occasionally on writing juvenile books. Because of her own teaching experience as well as that of her parents, she was enthusiastic in her support of free education for all children. She corresponded with hundreds of her young readers and was busy with her writing until she died in Queens, New York.

Achievements

• Helen Orton's major works: Prince and Rover of Cloverfield Farm (1921); The Treasure in the Little Trunk (1932); The Gold-Laced Coat (1934); Hoof-Beats of Freedom (1936); The Secret of the Rosewood Box (1937); The Brave Frontier (1940); A Lad of Old Williamsburg (1938); The Winding River: A Story of French Émigrés on the Susquehanna (1944); Mystery at the Little Red Schoolhouse (1941); Mystery at the Old Place (1943); Mystery of the Secret Drawer (1945); Mystery up the Chimney (1947); Mystery in the Old Cave (1950); Mystery in the Old Red Barn (1952); and Mystery in the Apple Orchard (1954).

Works

More photos

• book

  • MYSTERY UP THE CHIMNEY

    (IF you ever played Aunty-IOver you will understand how Di...)

  • Mystery in the Old Red Barn

    ( When their Uncle Bill comes to visit, Reed and Kathie h...)

  • The Treasure in the Little Trunk

    (Timeless Children's classic by Hellen Fuller Orton and re...)

  • The secret of the rosewood box

    (Interesting story of our country as first explored by men...)

  • Mystery in the Old Cave

    (The attempts to locate a runaway boy lead to the solution...)

  • The Gold-Laced Coat

    (The Gold-Laced Coat Paperback)

  • Mystery At The Old Place

    (No dust cover. Binding with wear. Pages G/VG. MX4 7)

  • Mystery in the pirate oak

    (Vintage book)

  • Mystery at the Little Red School-House

    (Children's)

  • The winding river,: A story of French emigres on the Susquehanna,
  • Mystery in the apple orchard;
  • Prince and Rover of Cloverfield Farm

Connections

In 1895 Helen Fuller married Jesse F. Orton, a law student and instructor in economics at the University of Michigan. They had four children.

Father:

Merritt Bond Fuller

Mother:

Lucy Ann (Taylor) Fuller

Son:

Philip Hoit Orton

Son:

Douglas Taylor Orton

husband:

Jesse Francis Orton