Introduction

Biography

Josephine was the daugh­ter of ar­chi­tect Cal­vin Poll­ard and Elec­ta Lou­isa Stan­brough.

She at­tend­ed the Spring­ler In­sti­tute, an ex­clus­ive girls’ school. She was a life­long mem­ber of the Pres­by­te­ri­an Church, and at­tend­ed the North Pres­by­te­ri­an Church on Ninth Ave­nue.

She worked as an ed­it­or for the Sun­day School Times, and worked for the Me­tho­dist Book Con­cern, where she ed­it­ed a ma­ga­zine in­tend­ed for Af­ri­can Am­er­icans.

Pollard al­so wrote for child­ren’s ma­ga­zines such as The Lit­tle Cor­por­al. Her po­et­ry was pub­lished in a num­ber of ma­ga­zines, in­clud­ing Harp­er’s and Scrib­ner’s, and in the New York Ledg­er. Some of her child­ren’s po­et­ry was col­lect­ed in the book El­fin, pub­lished in 1882.

Pollard was a found­ing mem­ber of the pro­fess­ion­al wo­men’s club So­ro­sis. She ne­ver mar­ried.

Works

• Bible Sto­ries for Child­ren
• The Old Tes­ta­ment in Words of One Syl­la­ble
• The New Tes­ta­ment in Words of One Syl­la­ble
• The Life of Christ for Young Peo­ple
• The Life of Wash­ing­ton, A Child’s His­to­ry of Amer­i­ca: Told in One-Syl­la­ble Words