Biography
Emily Rebecca Page was born in 1834 to Casper Page, a shoemaker from Greensboro Vermont, and Emily A. Alger. Within two years of Emily Page’s birth, both of her parents passed away, and Emily went to stay with her maternal grandparents, Eugene and Rebecca Baker. It appears that Emily’s aunt, Maria Baker, was also living with them at the time. Emily’s grandfather, Eugene, was a toll collector at the Piermont bridge, which crosses the Connecticut river. Emily was brought up in Eugene’s tollhouse, which was located on the Bradford side of the bridge. While growing up, she was taught at home by her aunt, Maria, who would later become a schoolteacher, and then attended a private school in Piermont, NH. Later in her youth, Emily attended Bradford Academy, as well as spending a short time at Saint Johnsbury Academy.
Throughout her life, Emily wrote poetry, which was published in a variety of publications, starting with the Portland Transcript when she was around thirteen years old. Later on in her life, she continued to write poetry and prose and was published in a plethora of printings, including The Carpet-Bag, The Rose Bud, and The Ladies’ Repository. Emily was an active member of the Universalist Church, and also wrote for some of their publications. Her poems were also included in multiple books and compilations, including Poets and Poetry of Vermont by Abby Maria Hemenway, A History of Vermont by Rev. Silas McKeen, and The Vermont Historical Gazetteer Volume II by Abby Maria Hemenway. Some of her most famous poems include "The Old Bridge," "Mabel," and "Haunted."
By 1857, Emily’s grandfather passed away, and Emily had moved to Chelsea, Massachusetts along with her aunt and grandmother. While living in Chelsea, Emily did editorial work for Maturin Murray Ballou and Fredrick Gleason, whose publications were located in Boston. Emily died in 1862 due to poor health, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett, Massachusetts.Education
Bradford Academy
St. Johnsbury AcademyOccupation
Poet
Editor