Anne Royall's grave in Washington's Congressional Cemetery is marked by a small granite stone inscribed simply "Anne Royall, Pioneer Woman Publicist, 1769-1854." The simplicity of the marker, which was placed upon her grave nearly sixty years after her death, is in sharp contrast to both the richness of Mrs. Royall's editorial career and the abundance of legends which surround her life.

Born near Baltimore, Maryland, Anne Newport was the elder daughter of Mary and William Newport. After enduring a peripatetic childhood on the Pennsylvania frontier, Anne settled with her twice-widowed mother and younger half-brother near Sweet Springs Mountain, Virginia, where her mother was employed as a housekeeper by Major William Royall. The enthusiasm for learning of the eighteen-year-old Anne soon captured Royall's attention. A gentleman farmer, scholar, and Revolutionary War veteran, Royall opened his library to Anne and directed her studies, emphasizing history, literature, and Freemasonry. Approximately ten...