Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874 - 1942) was born in the village of Clifton (now New London) on Prince Edward Island, a province of Canada. Young Maud went to live with her maternal grandparents, a stern Presbyterian couple who maintained the Post Office on Prince Edward Island's north shore. Their rambling farm was the inspiration for "Green Gables," now part of a Provincial Park established in 1937. Although trained as a teacher, she became known for a series of young adult novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, first published in 1908. Her stories about the lovable orphan girl Anne Shirley made Prince Edward Island an international tourist destination She was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1935.