Julia Boynton Green was born into an old American family that valued education and independence. She was born on May 25, 1861, in Byron, New York. Her family history included Nathanael Greene, a general of the Continental Army known for his intelligence and leadership during the American Revolutionary War’s Southern Campaign. Like her famous relative, Julia Boynton Green led a remarkable life full of quiet accomplishment.
By Allan R. Ellenberger
Julia began her formal education at the age of fifteen with her sister Laura at Ingham University in Le Roy, New York. She attended for one year before spending another year studying for admission to Wellesley College. Unfortunately, her father died after this period of study, and Julia returned home with her sister. Though she never returned to university, Julia continued to study privately for years afterward, mainly in Nyack, New York. She also spent two winters studying art in New York City as well as a season studying abroad in London.
Green moved back to New York and began writing poetry and prose in the 1880s. It wasn’t long before her work began appearing frequently in local journals as well as in the Boston Transcript. Like much of her writing that would follow, Julia Boynton Green’s verse in these years was notable for being well written but unconcerned with self-promotion.
In 1887, Julia Boynton Green’s first poetry book, Lines and Interlines, was published in New York. It was followed the next year by Verses. She had planned to tour Europe the summer after her second book was published but had to return home again after her mother fell ill and passed away. She would never receive such a simple wish as a peaceful journey abroad.
Julia married Levi Worthington Green in June 1890 and traveled through Europe for six months after the wedding. They eventually settled in Rochester, New York, before moving to Redlands, California, three years later in 1893. Levi established himself as one of Southern California’s first orange ranchers. Operating a ranch of over thirty acres himself, he was also a prolific writer. He wrote two books for young boys focused on adventure and the great outdoors. Levi Worthington Green was also published regularly in magazines.
The Greens had three children together. Named Gladys, Boynton, and Norman, all three pursued higher education or careers that led to noteworthy leadership positions. Boynton Green became an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University, Norman Green became an engineer, and Gladys Green became head librarian at Los Angeles Junior College before continuing her career as an academic librarian at UCLA.
Julia continued writing and had another book of poetry published while living in Redlands. Entitled This Enchanted Coast: Verse on California Themes, the book was published locally in Los Angeles in 1928. As with her previous poetry collections, the poems focused on a mixture of awe for the natural world and small emotional moments. Themes of memory and personal faith run through the collection, as do poems about repression and quiet strength.
Noonmark was published in Redlands four years later in 1936. Julia Boynton Green lived in Redlands with her husband until 1929, when they moved to Westwood so that their daughter, Gladys, could work at UCLA. Levi Worthington Green died at Hollywood Hospital on July 15, 1932, after a long illness. Services were held at the Hollywood Cemetery Chapel by Brose Brothers, with Dr. George T. Ashley officiating from the Hollywood Unitarian Church. He was cremated, and Julia would spend the remaining twenty-five years of her life as a widow.
On July 10, 1957, Julia Boynton Green died at her home at 922 North Ardmore Avenue from a cerebral hemorrhage. She was ninety-six years old. Bresee Brothers & Gillette once again handled the services. She was cremated and buried in Hollywood Memorial Cemetery in the Garden of the Exodus, Section 13, Lot 420, Grave 10 next to her husband. Like her life, her grave was modest.
Julia Boynton Green’s writing legacy and historic home live on today. Her literary papers and three unpublished books are in the collection of the Huntington Library. Julia and Levi’s home in Redlands was built in 1911. It was awarded the Redlands Area Historical Society’s Heritage Award in 1986. Julia Boynton Green’s life reminds us that the world of letters can exist outside constant shouts for attention. She was a woman who fell gracefully between East and West, a scholar and a housewife. She balanced ambition with acceptance and found success despite it all.
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A poem by Julia Boynton Green
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