Alice Caldwell Hegan - Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch: The Bestseller of 1902

Alice Hegan Rice, who published as Alice Caldwell Hegan, was born on January 11th, 1870, in Shelbyville, Kentucky.

As a child, her natural creative talents ensured she would always be able to entertain family members with impromptu stories. She had her first article published in a local magazine whilst she was still only 15.

Her well-to-do upbringing was brought into focus while helping a Sunday School that was in a slum in Louisville called the "Cabbage Patch". A group of troublesome boys ...