Cynthia Holmes Belcher (December 1, 1827 – March 22, 1911) was an American journalist born in Lunenburg, Vermont.

Her father removed her family of seven daughters from St. Johnsbury to Port Byron, Illinois, when she was eighteen years old.

[2] At age 20, she was married to Nathaniel Belcher,[3] a descendant of prominent New England people and one of the pioneers in the settlement of Illinois.

He held various offices of trust and was a member of the Whig Party that nominated General Winfield Scott for the presidency, and was a prolific political writer.

[4] After the death of her husband and two children, Belcher returned to New England and settled in Boston where she developed her literary, artistic, and musical talents.