About Marjorie Harshaw Robie

Marjorie Harshaw was born in Minneapolis to a family of Irish origin. She spent her first years in a small town north of Washington DC, before moving to Andover Massachusetts. There she graduated from high school before studying English and Government at Tufts University.

After graduation, Marjorie married Eugene Robie. The couple lived in Virginia and West Virginia before returning to Massachusetts, where they settled in the small historic town of Ipswich, raised their six children and enjoyed visits from their ten grandchildren. Marjorie taught in the Ipswich public schools, establishing the Special Needs program at the secondary level. When she left teaching, she fulfilled a desire to run for public office, serving two terms on the Ipswich School Committee -- four years as its Chairman.  She acted on her love of history and genealogy by serving many years on the Ipswich Historical Commission and researching her own family's history.

Marjorie's public writing career started with a weekly newspaper column on Irish history for the Newry Democrat. When she discovered a fascinating story of her family's connections to Irish history through much of the 19th century, she wrote her first book, Dwelling Place of Dragons (2006).  Dueling Dragons: The Struggle for Ireland concludes Marjorie's unique account of Irish history as experienced by her ancestors.