Biography

The Cary Club of Marion, Iowa was founded in 1878 with six charter members. The club was named in honor of two sisters, Alice and Phoebe Cary; nineteenth century poets. The sister's motto, "Thank God for the work he lets me do. I'm glad to live in the world with you," the club adopted as their own. For a short time after its founding the club was disbanded but reorganized in 1889. The objective of the club was the intellectual improvement of its members. Discussions and programs were given at the twice monthly meetings on varied topics including book reviews, historical subjects, and current events. During 1898 and 1899 as part of its program the group wrote a story titled "Wrecked Where We Least Expect." Several of the members contributed on or more chapters to the final manuscript. The entire work was recopied in longhand by one of the members and it took up nine volumes.

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