Anna Chapin Ray was an American writer. She was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, as the daughter of Edward Addison Ray and Helen M. (Chapin). In 1881, she was one of the first three women to take the Yale University entrance examination. She attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she earned a B.A. in 1885 and an M.A. in contemporary European history in 1888. Beginning in 1889, Anna became a prolific author, publishing many children's books as well as adult novels. She wrote during the summer in New Haven, Connecticut, and spent the winter in Quebec. Most of her writings were authored under the alias Sidney Howard. Her older brother, Nathaniel (1858-1917), was a mining engineer and California state legislator. They frequently corresponded.
