Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (24 November 1849 – 29 October 1924) was a British-born American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels "Little Lord Fauntleroy" (published in 1885–1886), "A Little Princess" (1905), and "The Secret Garden" (1911). Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1852, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in Jefferson City, Tennessee. There, Frances began writing to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines from the age of 19. In
The Family Secret (1924 film) The Family Secret (1924 film) The Family Secret is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by William A. Seiter and featuring child star Baby Peggy. It is based on "Editha's Burglar", a story by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in 1881 by "St. Nicholas Magazine" and adapted for the stage by Augustus E. Thomas. Margaret Selfridge (Hulette) lives with her affluent father, Simon (Currier) and her Aunt Abigail (Lucy Beamont) in a mansion in New York City. She is involved in a romantic relationship with Garry Homes (Earle), an honest man from a modest background. While walking through the