Don Carlos Smith

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWVC-7XH
• Initiatory (LDS): 11 Apr 1877, SGEOR

Don married Agnes Moultin Coolbrith on 30 Jul 1835 in Kirtland, Lake, Ohio, United States. Agnes was born on 11 Jul 1811 in Scarborough, Cumberland, Maine, United States; died on 26 Dec 1876 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LVG7-N3D
• Initiatory (LDS): 2 Sep 1933

Other Events and Attributes:

• Initiatory (LDS): Not Needed
• FamilySearch ID: LVGM-956

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LCTS-6JR
• Initiatory (LDS): 28 Oct 1932, SLAKE

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."

Josephine married Robert Bruce Carsley on 21 Apr 1858 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, and was divorced. Robert was born on 6 Jun 1833 in New Bedford, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States; died on 14 Aug 1905 in Manhattan, New York, New York, United States; was buried in Rural Cemetery, New Bedford, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Initiatory (LDS): Not Needed
• FamilySearch ID: G89Y-D2Q

Other Events and Attributes:

• Initiatory (LDS): Not Needed
• FamilySearch ID: G89Y-D2Q