15. Barbara Follett walked away from her marriage and writing career.
Barbara Follett published her first novel The House Without Windows in 1927, receiving lavish praise from literary critics at The New York Times and from American sage H. L. Mencken. What made the novel truly remarkable was that Barbara was twelve years of age at the time of publication. Her second novel, The Voyage of the Norman D. was equally well received when it was published the following year. Barbara’s career as a novelist reached its peak before she was fourteen, though she continued to write for a time, including book length manuscripts and travelogues. In 1933, while working as a secretary, Barbara married Nickerson Rogers, and settled in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Her marriage was an unhappy one, and Barbara suspected her husband of being unfaithful. In early December, 1939, Barbara left their home in the aftermath of a spat with her husband, allegedly with about $30 in her pocket. Nickerson did not report her missing until she had been gone for two weeks, and after she had been gone several months he requested a missing person’s bulletin be issued. The bulletin was released using Barbara’s married name rather than her own more famous last name, well known in the publishing world. Despite police and private investigations, no trace of Barbara was ever found, nor was there any evidence of a crime involving the former prodigy. Barbara Follett simply vanished, her fate remains unknown.
