Mary Bayard Clarke (née Devereux; May 13, 1827 – March 30, 1886) was a writer, poet, and photographer who resided in North Carolina.

Described posthumously by the Raleigh News and Observer as "one of its most gifted daughters",[1] She set out to demonstrate the literary talent of her state while also learning from other cultures and styles of writing.

Her third great-grandfather, Thomas Pollock served as governor and acquired large sums of land spanning the entire eastern portion of the state, on which he and his sons built many plantations.

[3] On her mother's side, she was descended from Samuel Johnson, another early American clergyman and educator who was the first president of King's College (today Columbia University).

[1] She was particularly interested in learning other languages, notably German, French, Spanish, and Italian, and practiced translating their literature into English.

Clarke's career was varied, as she contributed to a number of magazines, books, collections of poetry, and other pieces of literature.

She was an editor of Southern Field and Fireside in 1865, a writer for Peterson's Magazine,[1] and a contributor for The Old Guard and Demorest's Monthly.

Clarke refused to allow her career to be confined by the typical restraints women experienced in this time period, and her husband was very supportive in this process.

He never completely recovered from the injuries and illnesses he sustained during the war, and brought back heavy burdens to the Clarke household.

He managed to set up his law firm in New Bern[3] and eventually became a judge, but was consistently unable to earn a sizable income due to his drinking.