John Brayshaw Kaye was born in
Yorkshire, England, June 10, 1841, the fifth child and the fourth son of Abram and Mary (Brayshaw) Kaye was born in a family of fourteen children. In the following year the parents emigrated to the United States and after three years' residence in
Baltimore, Maryland, moved to Pennsylvania. The family afterwards went west in 1848, moving to a farm in Wisconsin, near
Lake Geneva, which continued to be the family residence until the death of the parents. There he passed the years of his youth. There, his mind appeared to receive remarkable impressions from the witchery and beauty of the lake, and the splendid scenery which formed part of its associations. To him, it was a rich source of physical and mental recreation. He received his education in the common and high schools here.
Poetry Early in life Mr. Kaye began writing fugitive verses, and in time these became so numerous that in 1874, they were brought together and published in a volume entitled,
Facts and Fancies.
Songs of Lake Geneva appeared in 1882. Both of these works won him praise from critics, as well as negative criticism. But Mr. Kaye's best work was done on
Vashti, a story based on the biblical story of
Esther. It far exceeded all prior efforts, and established a name for its author. ==Notes==