Betty Smith Autographs
Betty Smith (born Elisabeth Lillian Wehner; December 15, 1896 – January 17, 1972) was an American playwright and novelist, who wrote the 1943 bestseller A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Smith was born Elisabeth Lillian Wehner on December 15, 1896, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York to first-generation German-Americans John C. Wehner, a waiter, and Katherine (or Catherine) Hummel. She had a younger brother, William, and a younger sister, Regina. At the time of her birth, the family was living at 207 Ewen Street (now Manhattan Avenue). When she was four, they were living at 227 Stagg Street, and would move several times to various tenements on Montrose Avenue and Hopkins Street before settling in a tenement on the top floor of 702 Grand Street. It was the Grand Street tenement that served as the setting for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Smith developed an early passion for the written word. At age eight, she received an A for a school composition. "I knew then," she was reported as saying, "that I would write a book one day." She made great use of the then-new public library near her home on Leonard Street, and at age 11, had two poems published in a school publication. Smith attended Public School 49 through fourth grade, then transferred to PS 18, which she disliked, before wrangling her way into out-of-district PS 23 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where she finished eighth grade. At this point in her life, she was compelled by her mother to quit school and go to work to support the family. She was 14. Four years later, at age 18, endeavoring to further her education, she discovered she could attend Girls' High School in Brooklyn during the day while continuing to work a night job in Manhattan. But after two years of this rigorous schedule, she quit school because she received a well-paying day job with the United States Postal Service.
Read more about Betty Smith on Wikipedia
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Traded items with a signature of Betty Smith
The most expensive item with a signature of Betty Smith (Betty Smith / A Tree Grows in Brooklyn SIGNED 1st Edition 1943) was sold in January 2026 for $2,505.00 while the cheapest item (BETTY SMITH "Author" Hand Signed Photo) found a new owner for $7.50 in February 2009. The month with the most items sold (5) was July 2025 with an average selling price of $24.99 for an autographed item of Betty Smith. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in March 2025 with $24.99 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $24.99 was March 2025. In average, an autographed item from Betty Smith is worth $24.99.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Betty Smith were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 |  |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
 | BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
| BETTY SMITH “Self Titled” SIGNED Autographed Vinyl Record Album Folk Legacy LP | $24.99 | |
