Anya Seton, born Ann Seton, (1904-1990) was the daughter of British-American author and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton (1860-1946) and Grace Gallatin Seton (1875-1959), a suffragist, travel writer, and big game hunter. During her childhood, she spent much time in Europe with her mother, and was very proud of her fluency in French, often using French when writing in her journals and in letters to friends. While traveling with her parents, Ann received instruction by governesses; she later attended the Spence School in New York City, from which she graduated in 1921.
Shortly after her graduation from Spence, Ann married Hamilton Cottier (Ham) in 1923. Their courtship was carried out primarily through correspondence during Ann's tour of Egypt, Greece, and Europe with her mother from 1921-1922. Following their marriage, Hamilton and Anya traveled to Oxford, where Hamilton completed graduate work towards an M.Phil. in English. They returned to Princeton where Hamilton became an Instructor in the English Department (1925-1930). The couple had two children, Pamela Cottier Forcey (1925-2019) and Seton Cottier (1928-1979). Ann tried to fit in with Princeton society, but was not very happy in the marriage. She began an affair with Hamilton Chase in 1929, and moved to Reno in 1930 for the necessary three-month residency to obtain a divorce. Ann and Hamilton Cottier were divorced in February 1930, and within a month Ann married Hamilton M. Chase (Chan), with whom she had one daughter, Clemency "Zizi" Chase Coggins (b. 1934). This marriage ended in divorce in 1968.
Ann began writing short stories in the 1930s as a means to earn additional income without leaving her children. She received mostly rejection slips until she "discovered" Aaron Burr's daughter, Theodosia, who became the subject of her first novel in 1941. Around 1937 she becan dropping "Ann" informally and by 1940 had assumed the name "Anya" in both her professional and personal life. As Anya Seton she was the author of ten historical and biographical novels of considerable popularity in both the United States and abroad: My Theodosia (1941), Dragonwyck (1944), The Turquoise (1946), The Hearth and Eagle (1948), Foxfire (1951), Katherine (1954), The Winthrop Woman (1958), Devil Water (1962), Avalon (1965), and Green Darkness (1973). Many of these novels topped best-seller lists and remained there for several weeks. She also wrote three works for young adults: The Mistletoe and Sworng (1955), Washington Irving (1960), and Smouldering Fire (1975). In addition to her novels, she wrote short pieces for major magazines such as "The Writer" and "Ladies' Home Hournal" as well as a column in the Old Greenwich weekly, "The Village Gazette."
Anya Seton was active in the Greenwich community, where she lived most of her life. She lived in several Greenwich proeprties, most of which are still standing: Wyndygoul, De Winton, Little Peequo, and Sea Rune, which she built with Hamilton Chase in 1950-1951. In addition to the many speeches and lectures she gave, she participated in events for The Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich (now the Greenwich Historical Society) and the Mystery Club, led historic tours of Greenwich and Tod's Point (now knowns as Greenwich Point), composed the lyrics for the "Sond of Connecticut" and edited a play "The King's Cream Puffs" for local production. Her professional honors include The Award of Distinction from the National League of American Pen Women (1957) and a Citation of Honor from The Society of Colonial Wars (1957-1958). Anya Seton died at her home in Old Greenwich on November 8, 1990.
