Bottome, Margaret McDonald (1827–1906)
Bottome, Margaret McDonald (1827–1906)
American author and religious organizer. Born Mary McDonald on December 29, 1827, in New York, New York; died on November 14, 1906, in New York, New York; married Rev. Frank Bottome, in 1850.
In 1886, Margaret Bottome and nine other women formed a Christian study group called King's Daughters, an outgrowth of Bottome's long-standing practice of giving informal talks on the Bible. In order to expand the organization, each woman in the original group of ten initiated another group of ten, and so on. In 1887, men were admitted to the organization, which was renamed the Order of the King's Daughters and Sons. With Bottome as president, membership increased over the next 20 years to approximately one-half million in the United States and Canada. By that time, the organization had become international.
Bottome also contributed to the Order's magazine, Silver Cross, and wrote a column in the Ladies' Home Journal for members. Her other published works included Crumbs from the King's Table, A Sunshine Trip: Glimpses of the Orient, Death and Life, Seven Questions, After Easter, and The Guest Chamber. In 1896, Bottome was elected president of the Medical Missionary Society. She died on November 14, 1906.