She was born on February 9, 1839 in Somerset County, Maryland. She was a deaf poet and journalist. Her pseudonym was Howard Glyndon. Laura was hearing at birth but she had Meningitis at the age of 11 and became deaf. Most of her elementary school she spent in public schools. When she became Deaf she was transferred to the Missouri School for the Deaf. There she learned sign language which she used to communicate.

In her early adulthood, she interviewed President Lincoln and became personal friends with him. She also was very close to General Grant in the American Civil War’s era. When the American Civil War broke out in 1860, Laura was sent by the St. Louis Republican to cover the war in Washington DC. She was strongly pro-Union, and wrote lots of patriotic poetry that was published in the papers in addition to her more serious articles. Laura also toured the battlefields with General Grant, a place in which women usually weren’t allowed. Her first book of poems, Idylls of Battle, was published during this time as well as the book Notable Men in The House of Representatives.

In 1865, Laura traveled to Europe to study languages. She married a Lawyer from New York named Edward Whelan Searing. She had only one daughter named Elsa. She died in her daughter’s house in 1923 and is buried in Colima, California.

Laura C. Redden Searing was a woman full of courage. She didn’t let the stereotypes of her era dictate what she could and couldn’t accomplish both as a Deaf woman and as a writer. She has left a lasting contribution to the world with her beautiful poetry, her insightful articles, and the knowledge that anyone can achieve greatness by ignoring negative expectations.