Ada Josephine Todd

Ada Josephine Todd or Adah Josephine Todd (16 June 1858 — 27 October 1904) was an American author and educator in Redding, Connecticut. 

Early life and education

Ada Josephine Todd was born on June 16, 1858, in Redding, Connecticut. She descended on her father's side from Christopher Todd, one of the pioneer settlers of New Haven Colony, and on her mother's side from Jehue Burre, of Fairfield, she inherits sterling character from a double line of Puritan ancestry.

Todd received her A.B. degree from Syracuse University in 1880. She continued her studies in Greek and philosophy at Syracuse University and obtained an A.M. degree in 1883. She then earned her Ph.D. in Language and Literature from Boston University in 1886. At Boston University, she was valedictorian of one of her classes and salutatorian of another. 

Career

In 1880-1881, Todd was a teacher of languages and lady principal in Xenia College, Ohio. She resigned to continue her studies and in 1883, began to teach Greek and Chemistry at a high school in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and was the first to introduce the full laboratory method into the public schools of Connecticut, until 1893. 

In the summer of 1887, Todd had the care of the department of physiology in the summer school for teachers in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. From 1893-96, she was a Fellow in Philology at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Todd was a member of several literary, philanthropic, and social clubs including, the Association of American Authors and Browning Society of Philadelphia.

Publications

Todd published two series of weekly articles on Natural Science in The Living Church and wrote many articles and poems in papers and magazines and also made translations. In 1892, she authored her first book The Vacation Club.

Personal life

Ada was married to her husband, American historian Charles Burr Todd (9 January 1849 — 1928).

Death

Todd died on October 27, 1904, in Puerto Rico, at the age of 46.