Lifespan: 1835-1913
Nationality: English
Types of Work: Novels, Travelogue
Bio:
Frances Eleanor Ternan was born in 1835, the eldest daughter of two actor parents, Thomas Ternan and Frances Jarman. She born aboard a paddle-steamer in Delaware Bay while her parents were on a three year tour of North America. From her earliest years, she and her sisters performed on stage and continued acting into the adulthood. Frances' youngest sister, Ellen, was the mistress of well-known author Charles Dickens.
As a young woman, Frances moved to Florence, Italy to study opera. While there, she was employed by the widowed Thomas Adolphus (T.A.) Trollope as governess to his daughter. T.A. Trollope was the son of author Fanny Trollope (whose biography Frances later wrote), and brother to popular author Anthony Trollope. T.A. Trollope was, himself, an author.
Frances and Thomas were married in 1866 and spent much of their married life in Italy. They both wrote novels, travelogues, and historical works to support their income. She was also a contributor to The Fate of Fenella, a three volume novel penned without collaboration by twenty-four different authors.
After Thomas' death in 1892, Frances returned to England to live with her sister, Ellen. She died on 14 August 1913 at Southsea.
Novels:
Aunt Margaret's Trouble (1866)
Mabel's Progress (1867)
The Sacristan's Household (1869)
Veronica (1870)
Anne Furness (1871)
A Charming Fellow (1876)
Black Spirits and White (1877)
Like Ships Upon the Sea (1883)
That Unfortunate Marriage (1888)
Among Aliens (1890)
Madame Leroux (1890)
That Wild Wheel (1892)
The Fate of Fenella (co-written, 1892)