Ella Morrow Sollenberger (Mrs. Lawrence Randall) (1876-1951)
Originally from Newville PA, Ella Morrow Sollenberger moved to Baltimore with her husband Lawrence. Her love for presenting her poems at the WLCB meetings can be seen in the programs of the meetings that were printed in the Baltimore Sun, where her name was frequently listed alongside those of Lucy Meacham Thruston, Emily Paret Atwater, and Mrs. Walter W. Thomas. Sollenberger’s poem “Heritage” was syndicated in 1913 and published in newspapers across the country. Her best-known poem, however, is “Knitting” (1917), which reflects on the experience of mothers on the homefront during World War I and was also nationally distributed through syndication. Her love for family and feelings towards war can be seen throughout her collection, Driftwood and Other Verse, which was privately published in the 1930s. This collection includes several free verse poems–very unusual if not unique among the output of the WLCB–and some directly address the poetic impulse in ways that show that Sollenberger did not consider herself a female poet, but rather a poet without qualifications.
Relation
Lawrence Sollenberger
Sources
“Sollenberger.” The Sun (Baltimore), February 12, 1906, Obituaries sec.
“D.A.R. Activities.” Baltimore Sun, November 26, 1917.
“Newville.” Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), June 30, 1951.
“Heritage.” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 25, 1913.
“Heritage.” Oshkosh Northwestern (Oshkosh, WI), October 13, 1913.
“Knitting.” New York Times, November 11, 1917.
Miller, Mary Hall. “Ella McCord Morrow Sollenberger (Nov 1876–1951).” Find A Grave.
Contributors
Megan Hultberg; Stephen Barrett