Alice French was born March 19, 1850 in Andover, Massachusetts, the daughter of George and Frances Wood French. When she was five years old, her family moved to Davenport, Iowa, where she lived until her death in January 9, 1934. She is buried in Oakdale Memorial Park, Davenport. Miss French was an accomplished author of short stories, novels and essays, writing under the pseudonym Octave Thanet. She was one of the most well-known popular magazine contributors of the 1890's. Alice divided her time between her summer home in Iowa and her winter home in Clover Bend, Lawrence Co. Arkansas. In Iowa, during World War I, she organized Red Cross relief efforts and participated in many patriotic organizations.
 

 photo - credits:
-bust photo: c1896 - The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture