Edward Eggleston was an American historian, novelist, and editor, born on December 10, 1837, in Vevay, Indiana, to Joseph Cary Eggleston and Mary Jane Craig. He was the brother of the author George Cary Eggleston. Due to illness during his childhood, Eggleston was educated primarily by his father. In 1856, he was ordained as a Methodist minister, and soon after began writing stories that gained considerable attention, particularly his "Hoosier" series, which includes The Hoosier Schoolmaster and The Hoosier Schoolboy. His works often focused on historical events and American life, with notable novels such as The End of the World, which draws on the 1843 prophecy of William Miller, and The Graysons, which fictionalizes a famous murder trial Abraham Lincoln won in 1858. Eggleston also wrote several works based on his personal experiences, like The Circuit Rider, about itinerant preachers. Eggleston contributed to children's magazines and played a significant role in editing The Little Corporal, Little Folks, and The Independent. He helped found the American Historical Association and served as its president in 1899. Eggleston passed away in 1902 at the age of 64 in Lake George, New York, where he lived at his summer home, Owl's Nest.
