Mary Johnston was born in the small town of Buchanan, Virginia on November 21st, 1870. As a child she suffered from frequent illness and was educated at home by family and tutors. At times books were her solace and her devotion. When Mary was 16, her father's work on the railroad meant a move to Birmingham, Alabama. There Mary attended the Atlanta Female Institute and College of Music in Atlanta, Georgia. However, she only attended for three months and this was the only formal education she received. After her mother's death in 1889, Mary was both her father's companion and took responsibility for bringing up her five younger siblings. Mary's first book dealt with Colonial times in Virginia and was published in 1898. 'Prisoners of Hope' was followed by another in the same vein in 1900; 'To Have and to Hold' was extremely successful and became the best-selling book of the year. It was the beginning of a long line of further best-sellers, though none reached the commercial heights of 'To Have and To Hold'. In all Mary wrote 23 novels, numerous short stories, two long narrative poems, and one play. Her 1913 publication 'Hagar' eloquently captures the early days and struggles of women's rights and is thought of today as one of the first feminist novels. Mary's writing and observation was so acute that even her friend Margaret Mitchell, author of 'Gone with the Wind', was moved to say "I hesitate to write about the South after having read Mary Johnston." An early and active member of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia (ESL), Mary chaired the ESL's legislative and lecture committees and served as vice president from 1911 to 1914. Mary's deep attachment to female suffrage is preserved in her letters and correspondence. Her writings in support of women's suffrage appeared in national publications, including the Atlantic Monthly and Woman's Journal and Suffrage News. On May 9th 1936, at age 65, Mary Johnston died of Bright's disease at her home in Warm Springs, Virginia.

Account book, 1935 January-July, kept by Mary Johnston also contains a list of Eloise Johnston's books borrowed by Mary Johnston.

Mary Johnston (November 21, 1870 - May 9, 1936) was an American novelist and women's rights advocate from Virginia. She was one of America's best selling authors during her writing career and had three silent films adapted from her novels. Early life: Mary Johnston was born in the small town of Buchanan, Virginia, the eldest child of John William Johnston, an American Civil War veteran, and Elizabeth Dixon Alexander Johnston. Due to frequent illness, she was educated at home by family and tutors. She grew up with a love of books and was financially independent enough to devote herself to writing. Career as novelist Johnston wrote historical books and novels that often combined romance with history. Her first book, Prisoners of Hope (1898), dealt with colonial times in Virginia as did her second novel, To Have and to Hold (1900), and later, Sir Mortimer (1904). The Goddess of Reason (1907) uses the theme of the French Revolution, and in Lewis Rand (1908) the author portrayed political life at the dawn of the 19th century. To Have and to Hold was serialized in The Atlantic Monthly in 1899 and published in book form 1900, by Houghton Mifflin. The book proved enormously popular and was the bestselling novel in the United States in 1900. Johnston's next work, titled Audrey, was the fifth bestselling book in the U.S. in 1902, and Sir Mortimer, serialized in Harper's Monthly magazine from November 1903 through April 1904, was published in 1904. Her best-selling 1911 novel on the American Civil War, The Long Roll, brought Johnston into open conflict with Stonewall Jackson's widow, Mary Anna Jackson. Beyond her native America, Johnston's novels were also very popular in Canada and in England. During her long career Johnston wrote, in addition to 23 novels, numerous short stories, two long narrative poems, and one play. She used her fame to advocate for women's rights and strongly supported the women's suffrage movement. Her book titled Hagar (1913), considered to be one of the first feminist novels as well as somewhat autobiographical, captures the early days of women's rights. Johnston's deep focus on female suffrage in the United States is documented by her letters and correspondence with women working for the right to vote. But Hagar created a controversy among men and tradition-minded women, who were upset by the book's progressive ideas. Many refused to purchase it and subsequent Johnston novels. During her life, Johnston was close friends with Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell, who once commented: "I hesitate to write about the South after having read Mary Johnston. Johnston died in 1936, at the age of 65, at her home in Warm Springs, Virginia. She was interred in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. Three Hills, her house at Warm Springs, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. Her Richmond home on Linden Row was listed in 1971..........................