M. E. C. Bates (, Cram; August 25, 1839 – March 23, 1905) was the pen name of Martha Elizabeth Cram Bates, an American writer, journalist, and newspaper editor. She was widely known throughout the Grand Traverse region, and throughout the State of Michigan as well, having been closely identified with literary work since childhood. She was, perhaps, the first woman in the state who engaged in regular newspaper work, having been connected with the Grand Traverse Herald, of which her husband, Thomas Tomlinson Bates, was editor, from 1876.
Early life and education
Martha Elizabeth Cram was born in Northville, Michigan, August 25, 1839. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Cram, whose family moved to Traverse City, Michigan in 1863. Her early childhood was spent in Northville, Goodrich, and Flint, Michigan.
At the age of 14, Bates began to teach school, being a teenager of remarkable mental ability and a good student. Later on, she attended the Ypsilanti State Normal School and was one of the early graduates of what is now Eastern Michigan University.
As a young girl, her literary talent and interests resulted in a number of articles that were published in leading periodicals.
Career
Bates devoted several years of her early life to teaching. But she not only had the ability, but the inherent ambition to become a writer.