Finding aid for the Jesse Stuart papers

Biography of Jesse Stuart

The author Jesse Stuart was born in 1906, in Greenup County, Kentucky, to Mitchell and Martha (Hilton) Stuart. He graduated from Greenup High School in 1926 and from Lincoln Memorial University in 1929. He worked as a teacher and administrator in Kentucky schools and a farmer in W-Hollow, Kentucky. During this time, he wrote about life in his home state: the land and the people. He married Naomi Dean Norris in October of 1939 and had one child, Jessica Jane. He died due to complications following a series of strokes on February 17, 1984 in Ironton, Ohio.

Stuart wrote volumes of novels, short stories, and poems. His work includes Man with a Bull-Tongue Plow, his first published book of poetry, and several autobiographical works: Beyond Dark Hills, The Thread that Runs So True, The Year of My Rebirth, and God's Oddling. His poetry and short stories have appeared in various periodicals, and the number of his published works exceeds thirty volumes.

Scope and Content

The Jesse Stuart papers span from 1968 to 1974 and documents part of Stuart's life. The collection is organized into two series: I. Letters, Correspondence, and Envelopes; and II. Printed Matter. The records are arranged chronologically within the series. The correspondence is mainly between Stuart and Jack Matthews, an author and professor.

Statement of Arrangement

Subject Terms

The following terms have been used to describe this collection.

Subjects:

Persons:

Preferred Citation

Researchers are requested to cite collection name, collection number, and Ohio University, Athens, Ohio in all footnotes and bibliographical references.

Other Finding Aid

A paper copy of the folder list is available.