Author Eleanor H. Porter was born in Littleton, New Hampshire on December 19, 1868. Before becoming a writer, she trained as a singer at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. She wrote numerous short stories, children's literature, and adult novels including Miss Billy; Miss Billy's Decision; Miss Billy - Married; Pollyanna; Pollyanna Grows Up; Just David; Dawn; and Little Pardner. She died on May 21, 1920.