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Kentucky by Heart: Local writing ‘colorists’ concerned with region’s character in late 1800s


By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist

Northern Kentuckian John Uri Lloyd is a sterling example of the “local color” fiction writers who became part of the movement starting in the 1880s in American literature.

Defining the term, William S. Ward, in his A Literary History of Kentucky, noted that local colorists “were concerned with the distinctive character of their region: its customs, manners, dress, dialect, habits of thought, patterns of speech, and any other characteristics that may have escaped or withstood the leveling forces of change and national standardization.”

Lloyd is called by Maggie Heran in The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky “the quintessential 19th-century Renaissance man. Chemist, pharmacist, businessman, teacher, author of influential scientific treatises, and founder of an important research library, Lloyd also wrote eight successful novels.”

Northern Kentuckian John Uri Lloyd is a sterling example of the “local color” fiction writers who became part of the movement starting in the 1880s in American literature (Wikipedia Photo)

Northern Kentuckian John Uri Lloyd is a sterling example of the “local color” fiction writers who became part of the movement starting in the 1880s in American literature (Wikipedia Photo)

Though born in New Jersey in 1849, Lloyd moved with his parents, both teachers, to Burlington. The family, including two brothers who were also highly talented, later moved to several places in the area in those early years while the parents chased teaching positions. They lived in Petersburg, Florence, and later Crittenden.

The sons had little formal education while growing up, but according to Heran, “under the tutelage of their teacher-parents, they were well and encouraged to learn from their experiences and interests.”

The home-based learning structure set up by the Lloyd parents proved highly fruitful, and in 1885, John Uri and his brothers, Curtis Gates and Nelson Ashley, formed Lloyd Brothers Pharmacists, Inc., a highly successful endeavor lasting until 1938, when it was sold.

John Uri Lloyd’s authoring started with Etidorhpa; or, The End of the Earth, a fantasy offering. His Stringtown series used the setting of his Kentucky roots. His novels included: Stringtown on the Pike; Warwick of the Knobs; Red Head; and Felix Moses: The Beloved Jew of Stringtown.

With careful reading of Lloyd’s books, one might well surmise the location, events, customs, and language of the area around Florence in the late 1800s, when it was basically rural. No Florence Mall, y’all, in those days.

Kentucky had a good batch of other noted writers of the period featuring works written in the vernacular of their local surroundings.

Eliza Calvert Obenchain, better known by her writer’s name, Eliza Calvert Hall, was born in Bowling Green and spent most of her years there. She wrote for national periodicals such as Scribner’s magazine, the New York Times, and Ladies Home Journal. In time, her Aunt Jane of Kentucky stories became quite popular nationally, growing out of, according to William S. Ward, “the memories of an old lady, Aunt Jane, as she recalls people of olden times in the rural districts of the Pennyrile (often spelled Pennyroyal) section of Kentucky.”

Though I’ve written previously in Kentucky by Heart about Paducah’s Irwin S. Cobb, here’s just a reminder that any book collection of Kentucky’s historic writers would not be complete without his Judge Priest works. Those stories served as the basis for a movie starring American humorist Will Rogers.

I also wrote about Alice Hegan Rice, born in Shelbyville, and then lived in Louisville. Her Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch was based on a slum in Louisville where she did charity service. Just as Hall and Cobb did, her local color narrative reached a national audience, maybe not to the same extent as long-lived as Missouri’s Mark Twain, but nevertheless, significantly.

Lexington’s James Lane Allen wrote predominantly about Kentucky in periodicals and books, with an emphasis on short stories. Those included titles such as “The Bluegrass Region of Kentucky;” “Mrs. Stowe’s Uncle Tom at Home in Kentucky;” “The White Cowl;” and “Two Gentlemen of Kentucky.” Forthcoming were his popular books including A Kentucky Cardinal; The Choir Invisible; The Reign of Law; and A Kentucky Warbler.

Present day remembrances of the author are seen today in Lexington, as both a road and elementary school bear his namesake.

Steve Flairty grew up feeling good about Kentucky. He recalls childhood day trips (and sometimes overnight ones) orchestrated by his father, with the take-off points being in Campbell County. The people and places he encountered then help define his passion about the state now. After teaching 28 years, Steve spends much of his time today writing and reading about the state, and still enjoys doing those one dayers (and sometimes overnighters). “Kentucky by Heart” shares part and parcel of his joy. A little history, much contemporary life, intriguing places, personal experiences, special people, book reviews, quotes, and even a little humor will, hopefully, help readers connect with their own “inner Kentucky.”

John Fox, Jr. was born in Paris. He added some serious enrichment to his life, along with his noted published writing. He graduated with high honors from Harvard as the youngest person in his class, and he attended law school at Columbia for two months. During the Spanish-American War, he enlisted and spent time with the Rough Riders in Cuba. He was married for a while to an Austrian comic opera star.

But mainly, he was a writer of note. With James Lane Allen’s encouragement, Fox published “A Mountain Europa” in Century Magazine, and it became, said William S. Ward, “the first published story in what became a very prolific and successful career.” Perhaps the best known of his novels are The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, but others such as The Heart of the Hills and The Kentuckians are also memorable.

Cordia Greer Petrie had a popular series during the period called Angeline at the Seelbach, which paralleled her own childhood in Barren County and later moving to the more urbane confines of Louisville. It was a “hillbilly in the city” theme and was the basis of her speaking/costumed performances given nationally.

Though the local color era largely passed with time, Kentucky was well-represented in the late 1800s through the early 1900s by some very capable writers. Many early editions of these works are available online, at used book stores, or even at yard sales or other private sales. All are venues where I’ve added to my collection. It helps me have a firsthand feel for the state’s literary heritage, which I believe has been underrated for a long time.

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A few columns back, I took a tongue-in-cheek look at an assortment of odd names for Kentucky’s smallest towns, most of which are unincorporated communities. I came across a few more while perusing the book Joe Creason’s Kentucky, a dated but invaluable collection of anecdotes about the state’s people and places. All of these are from eastern Kentucky, including Carbon Glow, Decoy, Littcar, Closplint, and Praise.

For the ever light-hearted Creason, it provided a story about now-deceased writer James Still of Dead Mare Branch in Knott County. Still is the acclaimed author of River of Life, one of the great Appalachian novels from Kentucky (or anywhere else, for that matter). Here is the account, according to Creason, told in his typical folksy style, including dialect:

“One day Still was riding in an auto with several of his neighbors when they passed one of those roadside signs reading ‘Litter Barrel ½ Mile.’”
‘Well, dad burn them highway people for always tinkerin’ with the names of places,’ one of the riders fumed. ‘Why, this neighborhood has been called Kellytown ever since I can rekerlect!’

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This column originally appeared at NKyTribune.com on May 10, 2016

steve-flairty

Steve Flairty is a teacher, public speaker and an author of six books: a biography of Kentucky Afield host Tim Farmer and five in the Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes series, including a kids’ version. Steve’s “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes #4,” was released in 2015. Steve is a senior correspondent for Kentucky Monthly, a weekly NKyTribune columnist and a member of the Kentucky Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. Contact him at sflairty2001@yahoo.com or visit his Facebook page, “Kentucky in Common: Word Sketches in Tribute.” (Steve’s photo by Connie McDonald)


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