Ethel C. Brill (1877–1962)

Ethel C. Brill was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the youngest of three children of Anna Sheldon and William S. Brill. Her father and his brother Hascal Russell Brill were English-speaking Canadians from Québec who emigrated to Minnesota in about 1860. Ethel graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in literature in 1899, a noteworthy achievement for a young woman of her generation. At the time of her graduation, she was working as a book reviewer for a local newspaper, specializing in books pertaining to the geography and history of Minnesota and the Great Lakes regions. She is best known for her historical novel Madeleine Takes Command (1946), based on a true story of colonial French Canada of the 1690s. Her other meticulously researched books, whether novels or more factual accounts, all show a similar deep interest in the history of the Northwest. She wrote book reviews for various publications over the course of her career.