HistoricSiteMarkers
Progressive & Modern Era

Katie Daffan

Ennis, Ellis County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Born in Brenham, Katie Litty Daffan was a well-known author, educator, journalist, and club-woman. She began her career as a teacher and was an officer of the Texas State Historical Assoc. She wrote several books, including a Texas history textbook. Active in the United Daughters of The Confederacy, she served from 1911 to 1918 as superintendent of the Confederate Woman's Home in Austin. She was literary editor of the "Houston Chronicle" from 1921 to 1928. Miss Daffan taught school in Ennis and was feature columnist for the "Ennis Daily News", 1936-50. She died here in 1951.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Katie Litty Daffan built a remarkable public career at a time when few women did, working as a teacher, author, journalist, and clubwoman. She served as an officer of the Texas State Historical Association, wrote several books including a Texas history textbook, and edited the literary pages of the Houston Chronicle from 1921 to 1928. Deeply active in the United Daughters of the Confederacy, she led the Confederate Woman's Home in Austin from 1911 to 1918, and later taught and wrote a column in Ennis, where she died in 1951.

Why it matters

Daffan's life reflects the expanding public role of women in early-twentieth-century Texas letters, education, and civic organization.

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