Jane Verner is thought to have been born in County Armagh and educated at Miss Bryden's School for Young Ladies in Newry. At the age of fourteen she married John Mitchel. Under the pseudonym Mary, which she shared with other contributors, she published controversial articles in The Nation. Following John's arrest in 1848, she organised his defence campaign. With her five children she emigrated to Australia, where her husband had been exiled, and later, on his escape, she joined him in New York. During the American Civil War, she supported the Confederates, and two of her sons were killed fighting. As a mark of public respect, a large sum of money was raised in America to support her at the time of her husband's death. Her house in New York became a focus for political and cultural activity.

Born:	c.1820
Died:	31 December 1899