Collection #:
SC 1453

EDWARD EGGLESTON
EULOGY FOR GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS, 1892

Collection Information

Biographical Sketch

Scope and Content Note

Cataloging Information

Processed by
Chris Harter
24 June 1998
Updated 1 November 2004

Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269

www.indianahistory.org

Collection INFORMATION

VOLUME OF COLLECTION: 1 folder

COLLECTION DATES: ca. September 1892

PROVENANCE: Southern Cross Books, Timothy Bakken, PO Box 221, Clarindon Hills, IL 60514, 26 May 1998

RESTRICTIONS: None

REPRODUCTION RIGHTS: Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained in writing from the Indiana Historical Society.

ALTERNATE FORMATS: None

OTHER FINDING AIDS: None

RELATED HOLDINGS: SC 0536, Edward Eggleston Papers; SC 1101, Monday Club Records; see card catalog under: Eggleston, Edward

ACCESSION NUMBERS: 1998.0580

NOTES:

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Edward Eggleston (1837-1902) was born in Vevay, Indiana (Switzerland Co.), the son of Joseph Cary Eggleston and Mary Jane Craig. His father, who died in 1846, came from a family of some importance in Virginia. His mother's second marriage was to a Methodist preacher, Williamson Terrell (See also: BV 2477, Williamson Terrell Diary). Early influences on Eggleston included his father's Virginia background, his stepfather's Methodism, and assurances by Mrs. Julia Dumont that he was destined to be an author. Unlike his brothers, both of whom fought on the Confederate side in the Civil War, Eggleston developed a growing hatred of slavery. Both his education and his career were interrupted by periods of ill health.

After a period (1857-1866) as a Methodist preacher, Eggleston took up journalism, and then, beginning in 1871, the writing of novels. These included The Hoosier Schoolmaster (1871), based on the experiences of his brother George; The End of the World (1872), The Mystery of Metropolisville (1873), The Circuit Rider (1874), Roxy (1878), and The Graysons (1888).

In the 1880s and 1890s, Eggleston turned to history, and completed two volumes of an ambitious history of life in the United States. In 1900, he was elected President of the American Historical Association. From 1870 on, Eggleston lived mainly in the East, first in Brooklyn and, from 1881 on, at Joshua's Rock on Lake George, New York. He maintained a house in Madison, Indiana, however.

Sources:
Dictionary of American Biography
Who Was Who in America, Volume 2

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists of a two-page handwritten draft of a eulogy (ca. September 1892) for George William Curtis written by Edward Eggleston. It was written on behalf of a committee of the Authors' Club (of New York), and contains numerous corrections and insertions. Curtis (1824-1892) was an editor, author and orator, who is best known for his work as the editor of Harper's Weekly. See also: Rural Essays by A.J. Downing, edited by George William Curtis (SB471.D7 1853).

CATALOGING INFORMATION

For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:

1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://opac.indianahistory.org/

2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.

3. Select  "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.

4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, SC 1453).

5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.