Barbara Newhall Follett, who wrote a novel at 9 and vanished mysteriously at 25: The story of a young American author

Barbara Newhall Follett, a native of Hanover, New Hampshire, was only 9 when her first novel reached readers, according to the LA Times. The young American writer had created a story about a girl who leaves home to live in the wild. The book was praised by the critics, and Follett soon became known in the literary world. But her own life took an unexpected turn. She sailed without her parents as a teenager and disappeared at 25.

How Barbara Newhall Follett began writing as a child

Her father, Wilson Follett, worked as a literary editor and critic. Her mother, Helen Thomas Follett, had been a teacher and also wrote.

Also Read: Meet Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: From a child star to genius composer, how a musical prodigy built a class of his own


Barbara grew up with books. She had a love of the outdoors and learned to read very early indeed. She was writing poems and stories as a child, as per People. She started writing the story, which would become The House Without Windows in 1923 when she was eight. She wrote it on a small typewriter as a birthday present for her mother. House fire destroyed the book, but she rewrote it.

Finally, The House Without Windows was published in 1927 which is the story of a girl called Eepersip who leaves her house and goes into the wild. She found herself lost in the meadows, by the sea, and in the mountains. Her work brought attention from literary readers and critics. As per LA Times, english children’s author Eleanor Farjeon praised the book, writing, “I can safely promise joy to any reader of ‘The House Without Windows.’ Perfection.”

She created her own imaginary world and language

As a child, she created a fictional world called Farksolia. She developed its own language, which she called Farksoo, along with its vocabulary and other details.

Also Read: Meet Coco Gauff: The tennis teen prodigy who defeated Venus Williams on her Wimbledon debut

Her papers, preserved at Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library, include letters and writing that shed light on this private world.

She wrote her second book, ‘The Voyage of the Norman D’ in 1928 at the age of 14. The story was obviously based on her experience at sea.

What happened to her family life?

Follett’s father left the family in 1928, a year after her first book was published. The separation deeply affected her as per LA Times. Her mother and she later traveled by sea. They went on a long journey through the Caribbean and other regions, and their experiences eventually became the basis for Magic Portholes, published in 1932.

As she grew older, Follett continued to write and travel. She hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail with Nickerson Rogers, whom she later married in 1934.

The couple had shared an interest in nature and outdoor life. But Follett’s writing career became more difficult as publishers showed less interest in her work.

Barbara Newhall Follett’s disappearance

When she was 25, Follett left the apartment she shared with her husband in Brookline, Massachusetts. Her husband first thought that she had escaped, but she never returned. After a year, Barbara’s father, Follett, wrote an article in The Atlantic, titled To a Daughter One Year Lost. He requested for her to make contact which she never did.

Accounts of her disappearance say she left with little money and some notes. She was never reliably seen or heard from again. Her disappearance was reported weeks later.

No confirmed account explains where she went or what happened to her. The case has led to several theories, including that she left to start a new life or died by suicide. These remain theories, not established facts.