Born: October 24, 1788, Newport, New Hampshire.
Died: April 30, 1879, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania.
Sarah was the daughter of Gordon Buell and Martha Whittlesay, and wife of lawyer David Hale (1783–1822
A member of the Protestant Episcopal denomination, she edited The Ladies’ Magazine (Boston, Massachusetts) from 1828, and Godey’s Lady’s Book (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) from 1837.
The secular world remembers her best for her poem Mary Had a Little Lamb, first published in Juvenile Miscellany. In addition, during the American civil war, she persuaded American president Abraham Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday.
On November 23, 2013, a memorial executed by Finnish sculptor Jari Mannisto was dedicated to Hale in her home town of Newport, New Hampshire. It featured various symbols of her achievements, including a cornucopia in recognition of her efforts to establish the Thanksgiving holiday.
Boarding Out(New York: Harper & Brothers, 1846)
the BeginningTill A.D. 1850 (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1853)