Mary Lela Pool

(1852-1909)

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At a Glance

Mary Lela Pool was the daughter of John Pool and his first wife, Narcissa D. Sawyer. She was the step-daughter of Mary Elizabeth Mebane Pool.

Story

The following is from Bettie Freshwater Pool's book  "Literature in the Albemarle"  (1915)

"The subject of this sketch was the oldest child of U.S. Senator John Pool and Narcissa Sawyer. She inherited her father's brilliant and vigorous intellect and was strikingly like him in personal appearance. She was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, March 28th, 1852, and died in Washington, D. C., March 20th, 1909. She was twice married. Her first husband was Edward L. Mills, of Illinois. By this marriage she had three children, Mrs. Irving Pool, of Elizabeth City, Florence Mills, of Washington, D. C. and Hon. Edward Pool Mills, a prominent young lawyer of Shreveport, La. Her second husband was Dr. Joseph S. F. Sessford, of Washington, D. C.

At an early age Lela Pool showed remarkable precocity. At sixteen she was graduated with the highest honors from Patapsco Institute, Md., and afterwards from the  "Convent of the Visitation", Georgetown, D. C. She had a brilliant and richly cultured mind, and contributed to some of our leading periodicals. Her conversational powers were of the highest order. She was for many years a member of a puzzle club, known as  "The Mystic Sisterhood", and served at different times as Secretary and President of that society. Her poetic gift was much admired. As a writer of charades and clever puzzle poems she was at her best, and won the soubriquet of  "the Queen of Hearts."  Her husband, Dr. Joseph Sessford, an intellectual and talented man, won a gold medal as the champion puzzle solver of the United States. In the contest of 1894 he solved all but one-half a puzzle out of a list of three hundred and sixty-five.

Mrs. Sessford wrote under the nom de plume of  "G. Race.""

Biographical Data

Important Dates

Mary Lela Pool was born in 1852. She died in 1909.

Relatives