Mary Jane Lawson (Katzmann)
Poet, editor, bookseller, and historian – Mary Jane Lawson helped shape the early literary culture of Dartmouth and Halifax.
Poet, editor, and voice of local history
Mary Jane Lawson (Katzmann) (1828–1890) was an early Dartmouth poet, editor, and historian. Mary Jane was born in Preston, Nova Scotia, on January 15, 1828. Her father was German-born, while her mother came from a prominent New England Planter family.
From an early age, Mary Jane was interested in literature, and in 1852, at the age of 24, she became editor of The Provincial, or Halifax Monthly Magazine. Printed by James Bowes & Sons of Halifax, The Provincial was one of the more distinguished early Nova Scotian periodicals.
Hoping to attract a wide audience, she included original stories of local interest rather than relying on the common practice of reprinting content from other newspapers. The Provincial featured poetry and prose on subjects such as foreign travel, local history, rural life, science, and social conditions. She often contributed articles under the banner Tales of Our Village, signing her work M.J.K.L. – a series that proved particularly popular. Despite positive reception, the magazine struggled with insufficient subscriptions and ceased publication in 1853.
After The Provincial closed, Mary Jane opened a bookstore on Grafton Street in Halifax, aptly named the Provincial Bookstore. The shop appears to have specialized in religious literature, reflecting the strong Anglican influences in her life.
She managed the store until her marriage to William Lawson in 1868, at which point, following the custom of the time, she passed it on to her younger sister*. From then on, she devoted herself to charitable and social causes, particularly those associated with the Church of England.
In 1888, the foundation was laid for the Church of England Institute’s new building on Barrington Street in downtown Halifax. That same year, she co-edited what is believed to be the first locally authored cookbook in Nova Scotia – The Church of England Receipt Book – with Alice Jones. It may have been published as a fundraising effort for the new building.
Her book, The History of the Townships of Dartmouth, Preston, and Lawrencetown, was published posthumously in 1890. It remains an important resource for historians today.
Mary Jane died on March 23, 1890, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the age of 62.
Footnote:
*At this time, the ‘Marriage Bar’ a law which required women to resign upon marriage, was not legally in effect but it was generally accepted that women would resign when they got married. The ‘Marriage Bar’ was made law in 1921 and would not be repealed until the 1950s.
Front cover of The Provincial or Halifax Monthly Magazine. Dated September 1853. Printed by James Bowes and Son. Edited by Mary Jane Lawson (Katzmann), The Provincial published original Nova Scotian writing, including her popular series Tales of Our Village, under the initials M.J.K.L.
Who were the Planters?
Mary Jane Katzmann’s mother came from a New England planter family but who were the Planters?
Primarily farmers and tradespeople, the Planters came from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. They brought with them a strong tradition of community governance, Protestant faith (mostly Congregationalist and later Anglican), and a belief in education and civic responsibility.
The Planters responded to an invitation from the Nova Scotia government to take up lands left vacant after the forced expulsion of the Acadians in the 1750s. Unlike the predominantly Catholic Acadians, the Planters were mostly Protestant and were among the first large groups of settlers in Nova Scotia who did not come directly from Great Britain.