Emily
This timeline deals with the Emily of New Moon series by L. M. Montgomery. It includes the events occuring in and predating Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs and Emily’s Quest. The timeline is dated by Emily’s encounter with “the Woman who Spanked the King” the September after she turned fifteen, who said that “[Queen Victoria] would be dying two years ago”. (EC ch.14.) Queen Victoria died on January 22nd, 1901, making Emily born in 1888. (*see note)
| 1790 | Great-great grandfather Hugh Murray and Mary Shipley came to the “New World” on New Moon vessel, bound for Quebec. Mary Murray set foot on PEI and declared “Here I stay,” henceforth the Murrays settled on New Moon Farm in Blair Water. | “There has been a Murray at New Moon since.. 1790.” (EoNM ch.2) and (EoNM ch.7) | |
| 1795 | Great-uncle William Murray and Elizabeth Burnley come to PEI. Homesick Elizabeth refuses to take off her bonnet until her death. | “He came out five years after Hugh did. | |
| 1808 | Archibald Murray’s brother, Little Stephen Murray, dies at 12 years old. | Emily is 10 when Cousin Jimmy tells her: “He has been dead for ninety years” (EoNM ch.7) | |
| 1841 | Aunt Elizabeth Murray was born (approx.) | “Aunt Elizabeth was nearly seventy.” (EQ ch.18) when Emily is 23. | |
| 1848 | Archibald Murray sells the bush to Lofty John’s father. Aunt Miriam Murray lost the Lost Diamond in the New Moon summer house. |
Emily is 10 when Cousin Jimmy tells her: “Fifty years ago Uncle Archibald sold that jog of land to Lofty John’s father–old Mike Sullivan,” and “Fifty years ago Edward Murray and his wife came here from Kingsport for a visit.” (EoNM ch.7) | |
| 1864 | Aunt Ruth had an “affair” with Frank Blair. | Emily is 15 when Cousin Jimmy asks Ruth: “Do you remember the story that got around forty years ago about you and Fred Blair?” (EC ch.18) | |
| 1868 | Fred Clifford builds the Disappointed House. | Emily is 10 when Cousin Jimmy tells her: “Fred Clifford began to build that house thirty years ago.” (EoNM ch.7) | |
| 1886 | Douglas Starr meets and elopes with Juliet Kent. | Emily is 10 when her father tells her: “I met her twelve years ago, when I was sub-editor of the Enterprise up in Charlottetown and she was in her last year at Queen’s.” (EoNM ch.2) | |
| 1888 | Emily Starr is born on May 19th. | Emily is born. | Emily writes a letter to her father on May 20th: “Yesterday was my birthday.” (EoNM ch.17). The September after she turned fifteen, “[Queen Victoria] would be dying two years ago”. (EC ch.14.) Queen Victoria died on January 22nd, 1901, making Emily born in 1888. |
| 1893 | Emily’s mother, Juliet Murray dies. | Emily turns 4. | “You were only four when she died.” (EoNM ch.2) |
| 1898 | Emily of New Moon starts in May. Douglas Starr dies “two weeks later.” Emily goes to live at New Moon in and begins school. Emily is invited to Rhoda Stuart’s birthday in July. “Rhoda Stuart’s birthday party, which was to take place early in July.” Emily befriends Ilse in August. “For a month Emily was the most unhappy little being in Blair Water.” Teddy Kent gets over his illness. “He had been absorbed all through July trying to save Teddy Kent’s life up at the Tansy Patch.” Emily and Ilse spend “long, smoky, delicious August evenings” with Teddy at the Tansy Patch. Mike II comes to New Moon in October. Perry joins New Moon. |
Emily turns 10. | (EoNM ch.1-14) NOTE: Emily states she is eleven when she starts school “Why, I’m only eleven.” (EoNM ch.9), however, three years later, at the end of the book in September, she was “Thirteen last May.”(EoNM ch.31). She turns 14 when Emily Climbs begins. We can either assume she is 10 when the book starts, or we can say that she is 12 for a span of two years. |
| 1899 | Emily meets Father Cassidy. | Emily turns 11. | (EoNM ch.18) NOTE: Emily states she is “I’m twelve years old–I haven’t any brothers or sisters.” (EoNM ch.18) to Father Cassidy in September. |
| 1900 | Emily visits Aunt Nancy at Wyther Grange in the summer. She hears the story of Ilse’s mother, and meets Dean Priest. Emily gets her own room when she returns to New Moon in August. Mr. Carpenter comes to the Glen. |
Emily turns 12. | (EoNM ch.22-27) NOTE: When Emily meets Dean Priest in the summer, he asks “You’re twelve, didn’t you say?” (EoNM ch.26). Aunt Nancy likewise refers to Emily and her friend Caroline’s lack of interest in beaus. “Eighty and twelve say the same thing and both lie,” (EoNM ch.22). Both statements are made in the summer, after Emily’s birthday in May. |
| 1901 | Emily has measles in the Summer. Mr. Carpenter criticizes Emily’s writings, and she begins her diary. Emily of New Moon ends. |
Emily turns 13. | (EoNM ch.30-31) NOTE: in September, she was “Thirteen last May.”(EoNM ch.31). |
| 1902 | Emily Climbs begins. Emily is locked in the church in July. Emily goes to Shrewsbury in September and lives with Aunt Ruth. She promises not to write fiction. Emily and Ilse fight in December. |
Emily turns 14. | (EC ch.3, 6-7,8) |
| 1903 | Emily’s first poem “Owl’s laughter” is published, and she makes up with Ilse. Emily runs away from Aunt Ruth in “the Madness of an Hour.” Emily and Ilse canvas the Western Road and St. Clair. Emily dreams about the lost child, and meets the woman who spanked the king. |
Emily turns 15. | (EC ch.9, 10, 12-15) |
| 1904 | Emily has five acceptances in January, including one for her story “The Sands of Time.” Perry is invited to dinner at Professor Hardy’s in March, and kisses Emily. Aunt Nancy offers to pay Emily’s tuition, and Aunt Elizabeth lifts the ban on writing fiction. |
Emily turns 16. | (EC ch.16,17,19) |
| 1905 | The Woman Who Spanked the King is published by a New York magazine. Emily, Ilse, Teddy and Perry are stormed in the Old John House, where Teddy inspires Emily with his phrase “A Seller of Dreams”, and where Emily falls in love. Emily proves Evelyn Blake wrong. Aunt Ruth defends Emily in face of Shrewsbury rumours. Miss Janet Royal comes to Shrewsbury and invites Emily to join her in a newspaper career in New York. Emily graduates in June and receives a proposal of marriage. Emily Climbs ends. Emily’s Quest begins. In the autumn, Ilse Burnley goes to the School of Literature and Expression in Montreal. Perry Miller goes to a Charlottetown law office. Teddy Kent goes to the School of Design in Montreal and Emily and Teddy make a pact. |
Emily turns 17. | (EC ch.20,21,21,22-24,25), (EQ ch.1) |
| 1906 | Mr. Carpenter passes away in May. Emily falls in love with Aylmer Vincent. |
Emily turns 18. | (EQ ch.3,5) |
| 1907 | Teddy and Ilse visit for two weeks in the summer. Teddy wins an Art Scholarship for two Years in Paris. Emily writes “A Seller of Dreams” in the six weeks after their departure. Emily burns her book and falls down the New Moon stairs in October. |
Emily turns 19. | (EQ ch.6,6,7) |
| 1908 | Emily is engaged to Dean Priest in Spring. Ilse visits for a week before going on an oratory concert tour. Dean purchases the disappointing house, which Emily and Dean spend the summer fixing up. Great Aunt Nancy dies in the summer. |
Emily turns 20. | (EQ ch.7,8,9,9) |
| 1909 | Emily saves Teddy from sailing on the Flavian in April. The Flavian has a fatal collision with an iceberg. Emily breaks her engagement and friendship with Dean. In May, Emily finds herself interested in writing once more. Emily and Teddy reunite. Along with Ilse, they enjoy a wonderful summer, and attend Mrs. Chidlaw’s dinner dance. Teddy leaves Emily a letter after she spends a week at Uncle Oliver’s. Teddy is offered principalship of the College of Art in Montreal. |
Emily turns 21. | (EQ ch.10,11,12,14-15,15) |
| 1910 | Emily flirts with various boys in the summer, and befriends a Japanese prince. She rewrites “A Royal Betrothal” and meets its fantastic author Mark Greaves. Emily finds the lost diamond in October. Aunt Elizabeth breaks her leg, so Emily writes The Moral of the Rose to entertain her bedridden Aunt. She finishes the book at Christmas. |
Emily turns 22. | (EQ ch.17,17,18,18) |
| 1911 | Emily sends out her manuscript but it returns rejected. She has a lonely summer. | Emily turns 23. | (EQ ch.18) |
| 1911 | Emily purchases Lofty John’s Bush in March. Emily reads her ten-year letter from her fourteen-year-old self on her twenty-fourth birthday. The Moral of the Rose is accepted. Teddy and Ilse visit in July. Emily finds that everything has changed. Emily’s book arrives in November, and proves sucessful. Ilse announces her engagement to Teddy Kent in November. |
Emily turns 24. | (EQ ch.19,20,20,21-22,21) |
| 1912 | Emily befriends lonely Mrs. Kent. Ilse comes home in May for her wedding preparations. Emily finds a forgotten letter for Mrs. Kent and delivers her, and Mrs. Kent confesses that she has thwarted Teddy’s love for Emily. Emily tells Perry that Ilse loves him. Perry gets into a motor accident on his way to Ilse’s wedding in June, and Ilse abandons the wedding. Perry and Ilse plan to marry. |
Emily turns 25. | (EQ ch.23,24,24,24,25,26) |
| unknown | Emily and Teddy reconcile, and Dean deeds Emily the Disappointed House for a wedding gift. Emily’s Quest ends. |
Emily turns ?. | (EQ ch.27) |
NOTE:
This method of calculating the timeline according to fixed dates is problematic for the historical context of the book. The description of Ilse in chapter 6 of Emily’s Quest, for example, suggests the “Flapper” fashions of the post-war 1920’s era:
How pretty Ilse had looked to-night. In that smart, sleeveless dress of green sprinkled with tiny golden butterflies–with the green necklace that circled her throat and fell to her hips like a long green snake–with her green, gold-buckled shoes–Ilse always wore such ravishing shoes.
The timeline also run into the years of the World War I, however, there is no mention of war.
Like most of Montgomery’s other novels (with the exception of Rilla of Ingleside), the Emily of New Moon books should be viewed as being set in a “generic” time period rather than as tied to a specific historical date. They appear to be a mixture of Montgomery’s memories from her childhood (buttonned boots, bustles, Victorian fashions, and bangs - see Creation and Publication as well as the current time in which Montgomery wrote the Emily series (1923-1927). Furthermore, inaccuracies (such as Emily’s double year as a twelve year old) indicate that precision with the dates and times were not Montgomery’s emphasis.
Last modified: January 10, 2009
