A former English teacher from Ohio, who moved to Bradford with her new husband, Timothy Eyssen in 1930, Marguerite Cordelia Eyssen is perhaps best noted locally for her first and only novel, Go-Devil, a colorful and detailed accounting of the early days of the Bradford oil boom. Published in 1947 by Doubleday & Company and promoted as a special publication of that company’s 50th anniversary, it was described as “an exciting novel of the strong men and hard fights that built the oil empire of Pennsylvania nearly a century ago” and was loosely based on and mirrors several circumstances in the life of Lewis Emery, a noted Bradford oilman.

Eyssen was born in Wooster, Ohio (about 50 miles from Cleveland) in 1893 to Charles and Lucy Folsom and graduated from the College of Wooster in 1914 with a degree in English. She taught high school English for several years in North and South Dakota and credited this experience with her eventual future success as a magazine writer, writing dozens of short stories, many of which were published in popular magazines, such as the Saturday Evening Post, McCall’s Magazine, and the Women’s Home Companion, among others.

But it was her marriage to Timothy Eyssen, an Oil Well Supply executive, and their subsequent move to Bradford that gave her the inspiration to write about the thrilling days of the developing Pennsylvania oil fields. She called her book “Go-Devil” in tribute to the early oil shooters who would carefully and delicately lower a nitro-glycerin filled ‘torpedo’ down to the bottom of the well, then follow that with a ten or twelve inch cast iron pointed rod – the “Go-Devil” – which would strike the torpedo, detonating it. This fracturing of the oil well would improve production.

“Go Devil” is a stirring story of a character named Rand Bole and follows his successful career as an oil producer in Bradford. Local landmarks such as the Tuna Creek, Congress Street, the Oil Exchange, Main street, and prominent names from the era are scattered throughout the book.

Of course, there is a love interest as well. Doubleday Publishers said that Rand “battered his way to the dizzy top. It carried his fortunes up like a new gusher but couldn’t hold for him the only woman he ever really loved….”

Critics were cautious about the book, however, believing that parts ‘seemed jumpy” but agreed that “the struggle over the pipeline, dramatic episodes of the early oil fields, and the smallpox epidemic are aptly described. It is nevertheless the best that has been offered in fiction about this tremendous period in American history.”

Marguerite Eyssen was once asked to describe under what conditions her articles were written. She explained that she faced a blank wall, so that she wouldn’t be distracted “or dawdle.” She devoted ten or twelve hours a day to writing, depending on how the story was going. She preferred to use a typewriter, and never wrote in long hand, believing that ‘extra energy” was wasted that way.

Each story could take a day, or up to six weeks to write. She relied heavily on the opinion of her agent. She sent the first draft to him, and waited till she heard back to see if it had to be rewritten. Until she received notice from him, she did not write another word. If it was okay, then she began another story. “I think it is the fault of many new writers that they cannot accept criticism,” she said. “She should be willing to make the changes suggested by the more experienced critic.”

Blank walls weren’t always required for creativity, however. She often wrote outside their home on Hedgehog Road, next to a small stream and waterfall that bordered their property. Her husband built a small sturdy table and chair for her and the typewriter and while her two dogs played at her feet, she dedicated herself to writing.

Eyssen was also active in the local clubs and organizations and often gave speeches, detailing her success and writing tips. She was an active member of the AAUW, the American Association of University Women, the Literary Club, and the Pennhills Club. She belonged to the Church of the Ascension.

In the 1930s she and her husband lived at 53 Calvin Court, but shortly before World War II they moved to Hedgehog Road and remained there the rest of their lives. Timothy Eyssen died in 1956; Marguerite Eyssen died in Oct. 9, 1980. Both are buried in Willowdale Cemetery. They had no children.

In her will, Margaret Eyssen left $10,000 to the Bradford Area School District to establish a fund for the graduating valedictorian and salutatorian of the high school.