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Josephine Donna "Ina Coolbrith" Smith

Josephine Donna "Ina Coolbrith" Smith

Female 1841 - 1928  (86 years)  Submit Photo / DocumentSubmit Photo / Document    Has more than 100 ancestors and 2 descendants in this family tree.

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  • Name Josephine Donna Smith 
    Nickname Ina Coolbrith 
    Birth 10 Mar 1841  Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Death 29 Feb 1928  Berkeley, Alameda, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Initiatory (LDS) 28 Oct 1932  SLAKE Find all individuals with events at this location 
    FamilySearch ID LCTS-6JR 
    Burial Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, Alameda, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Headstones Submit Headstone Photo Submit Headstone Photo 
    Person ID I51723  mytree
    Last Modified 25 Feb 2024 

    Father Don Carlos Smith,   b. 25 Mar 1816, Norwich, Windsor, Vermont, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 7 Aug 1841, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 25 years) 
    Mother Agnes Moultin Coolbrith,   b. 11 Jul 1811, Scarborough, Cumberland, Maine, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 26 Dec 1876, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 65 years) 
    Marriage 30 Jul 1835  Kirtland, Lake, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F18912  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Robert Bruce Carsley,   b. 6 Jun 1833, New Bedford, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 14 Aug 1905, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 72 years) 
    Marriage 21 Apr 1858  Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Divorce Yes, date unknown 
    Divorced Dec 1861 
    Children 
     1. Son 1 Carsley,   b. 1860, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1860, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 0 years)
     2. Son 2 Carsley,   b. 1861, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Bef 1865 (Age < 3 years)
    Family ID F19145  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 5 May 2024 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 10 Mar 1841 - Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 21 Apr 1858 - Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 29 Feb 1928 - Berkeley, Alameda, California, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsInitiatory (LDS) - 28 Oct 1932 - SLAKE Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, Alameda, California, United States Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Photos
    Smith, Josephine D b1841 - Portrait
    Smith, Josephine D b1841 - Portrait

  • Notes 
    • Ina Donna Coolbrith (March 10, 1841 – February 29, 1928), born Josephi n e Donna Smith, was an American poet, writer, librarian, and a prominen t f igure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary community. Called the "S wee t Singer of California", she was the first California Poet Laureate a nd t he first poet laureate of any American state.

      Coolbrith, born the niece of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa i nts founder Joseph Smith, left the Mormon community as a child to ente r h er teens in Los Angeles, California, where she began to publish poetr y. S he terminated a youthful failed marriage to make her home in San Fra ncisc o, and met writers Bret Harte and Charles Warren Stoddard with who m she f ormed the "Golden Gate Trinity" closely associated with the liter ary jour nal Overland Monthly. Her poetry received positive notice from c ritics an d established poets such as Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce and Alfr ed Lord Te nnyson. She held literary salons at her home in Russian Hill—i n this wa y she introduced new writers to publishers. Coolbrith befriende d the poe t Joaquin Miller and helped him gain global fame.

      While Miller toured Europe and lived out their mutual dream of visitin g L ord Byron's tomb, Coolbrith cared for his Wintu daughter and member s of h er own family. As a result, she came to reside in Oakland and acce pted th e position of city librarian. Her poetry suffered as a result o f her lon g work hours, but she mentored a generation of young readers in cluding Ja ck London and Isadora Duncan. After she served for 19 years, O akland's li brary patrons called for reorganization, and Coolbrith was fi red. She mov ed back to San Francisco and was invited by members of the B ohemian Clu b to be their librarian.

      Coolbrith began to write a history of California literature, including m u ch autobiographical material, but the fire following the 1906 San Franc is co earthquake consumed her work. Author Gertrude Atherton and Coolbrit h' s Bohemian Club friends helped set her up again in a new house, and sh e r esumed writing and holding literary salons. She traveled by train t o Ne w York City several times and, with fewer worldly cares, greatly inc rease d her poetry output.

      On June 30, 1915, Coolbrith was named California's poet laureate, and s h e continued to write poetry for eight more years. Her style was more th a n the usual melancholic or uplifting themes expected of women—she inclu de d a wide variety of subjects in her poems, which were noted as being " sin gularly sympathetic" and "palpably spontaneous". Her sensuous descrip tion s of natural scenes advanced the art of Victorian poetry to incorpor ate g reater accuracy without trite sentiment, foreshadowing the Imagis t schoo l and the work of Robert Frost. California poet laureate Carol Mu ske-Duke s wrote of Coolbrith's poems that, though they "were steeped i n a high te a lavender style", influenced by a British stateliness, "Cali fornia remai ned her inspiration."