Adelaide D. Thayer | |
|---|---|
 Thayer in 1905 | |
| Born | Adelaide De Claire March 10, 1864 Leslie, Michigan, United States |
| Died | 1945 (aged 80–81) St. Johns, Michigan, United States |
| Other names | "Addie" |
| Occupation | Schoolteacher |
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| Parents |
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| Relatives | Voltairine de Cleyre (sister) |
Adelaide De Claire Thayer (1864–1945) was an American schoolteacher and writer. Born into extreme poverty in Michigan, she and her younger sister Voltairine developed a love of reading and writing at an early age. After Adelaide fell ill, Voltairine was sent away to be educated in a convent, but the two kept in touch through letters. They continued to exchange correspondence with each other into adulthood, with Voltairine telling Adelaide of her work as a tutor and public speaker, as well as her romantic partners, although the two disagreed on politics and rarely spoke on the matter. Although Adelaide herself had wanted to become a journalist, her mother pressured her into work as a schoolteacher. She later converted to Baptist denomination and married two working class men, which her mother disliked. After Voltairine's death, Adelaide became a key primary source in her life and collector of her works, supplying Joseph Ishill and Agnes Inglis with many letters, which are today in the respective collections of Harvard University and the University of Michigan.