Profile of the Day: Willa Cather

Do you have pioneer ancestors? On this day in 1873, author Willa Cather was born in Winchester, Virginia. Cather is perhaps best remembered for her vivid portrayal of frontier life on the Great Plains in her novels, O Pioneers! and My Ántonia.

Image: Willa Cather / Library of Congress

Wilella Sibert Cather was born on her maternal grandmother’s farm in the Back Creek Valley near Winchester, Virginia. Although most may think of her as a Nebraskan, her family did not move to the frontier of Nebraska until she was nine. Before that, her family had been in Virginia for several generations.

Before becoming a novelist, Cather found success as a journalist and magazine editor. Her experiences growing up on the Nebraskan frontier greatly influenced her future novels. Cather’s writing often captured the strong frontier spirit that she observed growing up. In 1923, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, One of Ours.

How are you related to Willa Cather? Explore her family tree and share you’re connection to the author.

View Willa Cather’s Geni Profile