Anna Chapin Ray Anna Chapin Ray was an American writer born on January 3, 1865, in Westfield, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Edward Addison Ray and Helen M. (Chapin). In 1881, Ray became one of the first three women to take the Yale University entrance exam,reflecting her early commitment to education. She went on to study at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, earning a B.A. in 1885 and an M.A. in modern European history in 1888. Ray began her writing career in 1889 and became a prolific author, producing many works, including children's books and adult novels. She often wrote under the pseudonym Sidney Howard. During her writing career, she spent summers in New Haven, Connecticut, and winters in Quebec, where she drew inspiration for many of her works. Between 1916 and 1920, Ray served at the Military Hospitals Commission in Ottawa, where she was responsible for overseeing the stenographic bureau in the Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment. Ray's older brother, Nathaniel, was a mining engineer and California state legislator, and the two maintained a close correspondence. Anna Chapin Ray passed away on December 13, 1945, after a hip fracture and subsequent hospitalization. Read More Read Less