Josephine E. Keating

Josephine E. Keating (1838 – November 8, 1908) was an American literary critic, musician and music teacher.

Josephine E. Keating
Born	Josephine Esselman Smith 1838 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	November 8, 1908 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation	literary critic, musician, music teacher
Language	English
Nationality	American
Subject	music
Spouse	John McLeod Keating ( m. 1856)

Early years and education

Josephine Esselman Smith was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1838. She was educated in the Atheneum in Columbia. From that institution, she was graduated with distinction in vocal and instrumental music. She was first in all her other classes, also studying modern French and English literature.

Career

At the beginning of her career, she gave much attention to music and its history and to that of the persons most distinguished as executants or professors of it.[1] Keating was also a singer. After many triumphs in the music field in Nashville, Tennessee, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Memphis, where she sang for charitable and patriotic purposes, teaching music, vocal, piano, harp and guitar, for the support of her family during the war, she turned to literature.[2]

She became well known to publishers and literary people throughout the country as a discerning and discriminating critic, serving as the literary editor of the Memphis, Tennessee Appeal, and later of the Memphis Commercial. Keating was a letter writer, and for eight years, the New York correspondent of the Appeal. During her connection with that journal, she wrote many musical criticisms of value and several sketches of notable musical and theatrical people. She also made many valuable translations from the French, which were well received.[2]

Personal life

In 1856, she married Col. John McLeod Keating (1830-1906), a Memphis journalist.[3] There were two children, a son and a daughter.[4] She died November 8, 1908 in Memphis, Tennessee.[5]

References

1. Willard & Livermore 1893, p. 429.
2. Willard & Livermore 1893, p. 430.
3. Harkins 2009, p. 13.
4. Johnson 1967, p. 562.
5. "Josephine Esselman Smith Keating (1838 - 1908) - Find A Grave Memorial". www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 8 July 2017.

Attribution

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life (Public domain ed.). Moulton. p. 429.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Bibliography

• Harkins, John E. (1 August 2009). Memphis Chronicles: Bits of History from the Best Times. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-62584-246-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Johnson, Andrew (1967). The Papers of Andrew Johnson: May 1869-July 1875. Univ. of Tennessee Press. ISBN 978-1-57233-091-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

External links

• Works by or about Josephine E. Keating at Internet Archive