Alabama Authors

Category: All

  • FIGH, MARGARET GILLIS, 1896-1984

    College instructor of English. Born– July 12, 1896, Brewton. Parents–David  and Martha F. Gillis.  Married– John Poston Figh. Children–one.  Education– Judson College, A.B., 1916; University of Alabama, M.A., 1917; Columbia University, M.A. Taught in Alabama high schools until 1924; Huntingdon College, 1924-1972; University of Alabama, Montgomery Center, 1937-1942. Member of the South Atlantic Modern Language…

  • LIDE, NEOMA JEWELL LAWHON, 1926-

    Biography: Nurse; journalist;  businesswoman. Born– April 1, 1926, Levelland, Tex. Parents– Charles Samuel and Jewell (Yeager) Lawhon. Married– Martin James Lide, November 12, 1950. Children– Three. Education– Draughon Business College; University of Texas; Jefferson Hillman School of Nursing, Birmingham, R.N., 1950. Columnist, Baldwin Times in Bay Minette, 1964-1968; columnist, Shades Valley Sun, 1974-1975; vice president,…

  • HAMMOND, RALPH CHARLES, 1916-2010

    Biography: Real estate executive; writer, editor, public official. Born– February 1, 1916, Big Wills Valley, Valley Head. Parents– William Bleve and Alice Corina Jane (Holleman) Hammond. Married– Myra Leak, June 20, 1954. Children– Two. Education–Berea College;  University of Alabama, A.B., 1945; additional study at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and Oxford University.  Served in…

  • CATHER, WILLIAM HARLOW, 1868-1935

    Biography: Attorney. Born– June 23, 1868, Hillville, Va.; family moved to Ashville,  AL, about 1872.  Parents– George Roberts and Harriet Hart (Heath) Cather. Married– Mary Presley of Springville (died 1903); Married– Cora Lee Webb of Centre, 1904. Children– Four. Practiced law in Centre.  Died July 25, 1935. Source: Elizabeth Lonnergan, St. Clair County Library, Ashville. Publication(s):…

  • CASEY, ALBERT EUGENE, 1903-1982

    Biography: Pathologist; genealogist. Born– New York City. Parents– Eugene and Anna Alma (Powell) Casey. Married– Bourdon Veazey, April 19, 1928. Children– Three. Married– Joanne Gunn, November 8, 1952. Education– Spring Hill College, A.B., 1922; St. Louis University, M.D., 1927. Pathologist and teacher of pathology. Worked for the Rockefeller Institute, 1927-1934; University of Virginia, 1934-1938; Louisiana…

  • BRAGG, SHIRLEY, 1853-1908

    Biography: Physician. Born– November 3, 1853, near Lowndesboro. Parents– John and Mary Frances (Hall) Bragg. Married– Isabella Norvelle Murray, February 7, 1878. Children– One. Education– Spring Hill College; St. Louis University, A.B., 1872; Alabama Medical College, M.D., 1875. Adjunct professor of surgery at Atlanta Medical College, 1875; practiced medicine in Lowndes County, 1876-1896; and in…

  • BIDERMAN, ALBERT D., 1923-2003

    Biography: Research sociologist; college professor. Born– July 10, 1923, Patterson, N.J. Parents– Isaac and Celia (Silberstein) Biderman. Married– Sumiko Fujii, November 9, 1951. Children– Three. Education– New York University, A.B., 1947; University of Chicago, M.A., 1952, Ph.D., 1964. U.S. Army, WWII. Instructor in sociology at Illinois Institute of Technology, 1948-52.  research social psychologist at Maxwell Air…

  • BAKER, ROGER DENIO, 1902-1994

    Biography: Pathologist. Born– April 10, 1902, East Lansing, Mich. Parents– Ray Stannard and Jessie Irene (Beal) Baker. Married– Eleanor Elizabeth Ussher, September 29, 1929. Children– Three. Education– University of Wisconsin, A.B., 1924; Harvard University, M.D., 1928; attended the University of Kiel and Tulane University. Worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Duke…

  • BASHINSKY, ELIZABETH BURFORD, 1867-1968

    Biography: Civic leader; advocate for education; teacher. Born–August 22,  1867, Dixon’s Spring, Tenn. Parents– Robert Allen and Mary Elizabeth (Lowe) Burford. Married– Leopold Max Bashinsky, June 17, 1891. Children– Three. Education– Columbia Institute at Columbia, Tenn. Taught at Troy State Normal School elementary school, 1888-1890. Member of the board of trustees of Judson College; member of…

  • WATERS, ANNIE CROOK, 1910-1985

    Biography: Teacher; historian. Born–October 18, 1910, Escambia County, Ala. Parents–Ben and Katie Godwin Crook. Married–Rev. Malard Grady Waters. Children– three. Education– Howard College; Troy State University. Charter member, Escambia County Historical Society. The History of Escambia County was designated the official history of the county by the Escambia County Commission in 1983.  Died October 5, 1985. Source:…

  • RUFFIN, MARGARET ELLEN HENRY, 1857-1941.

    Biography: Writer. Born– August 26, 1857, Daphne. Parents– Thomas and Mary (Nugent) Henry. Married– Francis Gildart Ruffin, Jr., April 20, 1887. Children– Six. Education– Immaculate Conception School and Visitation Convent in Mobile, graduated from St. Joseph’s College, Emmitsburg, Md., 1877. President of Catholic Knights and Ladies of America, Branch No. 130.  Awarded the honorary degree…

  • FOSCUE, VIRGINIA ODEN, 1933-2002

    Linguist; University professor. Born– June 23, 1933, Bellamy. Parents– Simon Errol and Lillian Foscue. Education– University of Alabama, B.A., 1955; M.A., 1959; University of Wisconsin, 1966. Taught at the University of Alabama, 1963-1993. Member of the Linguistics Society of America, Modern Language Association, and National Council of Teachers of English. Phi Beta Kappa.  Died June…

  • BEALLE, ALFRED BATTLE, 1879-1933

    Biography: Cotton broker. Born– September 5, 1879, Pickens County. Parents– John Shep and Eloise Johnson Bealle. Moved to Tuscaloosa when he was a child. Married– Annie Vernon Pollard, December 30, 1914.  Children–two.  Volunteer, U.S.Army, Spanish-American War, 1898. Apprenticed to a printing office and remained in that trade until he was eighteen; later joined a cotton brokerage firm. First printed poem…

  • BAKER, OLA GRACE, 1908-2005

    Biography: Teacher, counselor, genealogist. Born–July 19, 1908, Lamar County. Parents– Robert Lee and Ethel Cora (Clearman) Baker. Education– Attended Athens College; Birmingham Southern College, A.B., 1931; University of Alabama, M.A., 1947.  Taught in Jefferson County, 1928-1943; served in the U.S. Marine Corps, 1946-1947; served the University of Alabama as counselor to women, assistant dean of women, foreign student…

  • KILPATRICK, CARROLL, 1913-1984

    Biography: Journalist, writer. Born– Sept. 2, 1913, Montgomery, Ala. Parents– Andrew Carroll and Mary (Anderson) Kilpatrick. Married– Frances Talbot Williams, Mar. 6, 1941. Children– Two. Education– University of Alabama, A.B., 1935; graduate study, Harvard University, 1939-1940. Reporter, 1935-1937, Washington correspondent, 1939-1943, Birmingham News and Age-Herald; Associate editor and European correspondent, Montgomery Advertiser, 1937-1939; Washington correspondent,…

  • CATER, SILAS DOUGLASS, 1923-1995

    Biography: Journalist; presidential assistant; University professor, college president. Born– August 24, 1923, Montgomery. Parents– Silas D. and Nancy (Chesnutt) Cater. Married– Libby Anderson, December 20, 1950. Children– Four. Education– Harvard University, A.B., 1947, M.A., 1948; Guggenheim Fellow, 1955, Eisenhower Exchange Fellow, 1957.  Served with the OSS during WWII. Worked for Reporter magazine, 1950-1964; special assistant…

  • BRADLEY, MICHAEL ANDERSON, 1944-

    Biography: Free lance writer; consultant. Born– May 12, 1944, Talladega. (Moved to Canada at the age of fifteen.) Parents–Robert Lee and Scottibelle Louise Robertson Bradley. Married–Freda Winnifred Doody, June 11, 1966.  Children– one.  Education– Dalhousie University, 1964-67. Worked in journalism, writing, marketing, advertising, research, and social action. Author of more than 100 radio and television scripts. Exponent…

  • ANDERS, MARY EDNA, 1921-2001

    Biography: Librarian. Born– December 7, 1921, Northport. Parents–James W. and Edna A. Anders.  Education– University of Alabama, 1940-1943; University of North Carolina, B.S. in Library Science, 1947, M.A. in Library Science, 1950; Columbia University, D.L.S, 1958. Career began as a librarian at Huntingdon College, 1943, and included positions at the University of North Carolina, Tuscaloosa…

  • BLACKSTONE, JOHN HOMER, 1911-1983

    Biography: Agricultural economist; University professor. Born– October 28, 1911, Dalton, Ga. Parents– Fred Luther and Mamie Louise Carter Blackstone.  Married Laura Grace Wald, July 13, 1935. Children– Two. Education– Auburn University, B.S., 1938, M.S., 1941. Assistant agricultural economist at the University of Kentucky, 1941-1942; taught at Auburn University, 1941 and again after 1946; professor of agricultural…

  • BENSON, CARL FREDERICK, 1916-1979.

    Biography: University professor. Born– February 19, 1916, Camden, Ark. Parents– Louis Victor and Elizabeth (Walther) Benson. Married– Martha Ellen Blanks, May 29, 1941. Children– Two. Education– Southern State College, Magnolia, Arkansas; University of Texas, B.A., 1937, M.A., 1938; University of Illinois, Ph.D., 1948. Taught at Arkansas A & M College and University of Illinois; Auburn University…

  • BECK, MARTIN LUTHER, 1893-1982

    Biography: Professor of education; pastor. Born–November 4, 1893. Parents–John Thomas and Mary J. Anderson Beck. Married–Eva Bergdoll.   Children–one.  Education– Southern Methodist University, B.A., B.D.; University of Chicago, M.A. Served as a pastor in Dallas, Texas.  Specialist in the teaching of social studies; demonstration teacher in the training school at Lee County High School; supervisor of practice…

  • BARNES, JOE, 1920-1993

    Biography: Teacher, author,  museum curator. Born– April 17, 1920, Gadsden. Parents– Louis J. and Myrtle (Woodson) Barnes. Married– Mabel Thornton, July 20, 1947. Children– Two. Education– Attended Auburn University, 1946; Jacksonville State Teachers College, B.S., 1949; University of Alabama, master’s degree, 1977.  Served in the U.S.Army Air Corps, WWII; served in the U.S. Army Reserve,…

  • JERNIGAN, MARY (POLLY) SAMFORD, 1922-2014

    Biography: Homemaker. Born– August 13, 1922, Opelika, Ala. Parents– Richard Lewis and Ione (Barnes) Samford. Married– Charles H. Jernigan, October 5, 1940. Children– Two. Died January 28, 2014. Source: Mrs. Charles Jernigan, Opelika, Ala. Obituary, January 30, 2014. Publication(s): Good! Good! Good!; Selected Recipes for Party People, Collected, Tried, and Found Good, Good, Good. Auburn,…

  • LOCKHART, MARGERY THOMPSON, 1909-1993

    Biography: Accountant. Born–Feb. 20, 1909, Walker County, Ala. Parents– Fleamon A. and Arminda (Miller) Thompson. Married– Paul Earl Lockhart, September 6, 1925. Children– One. Education– Business College, Opelika. Employed on the staff of Congressman Ross Collins of Mississippi; a statistical analyst in the Adjutant General’s Office, U.S. Department of Defense, for twenty-one years; Head of Accounts Receivable,…

  • SMITH, CHARLES BUNYAN, 1891-

    Biography: Educator, educational administrator. Born– June 5, 1891, in Geneva Co., Ala. Parents– Isaac Bryan and Emma (Brunson) Smith. Education– science diploma from Troy State Normal School; Peabody College, B.S., M.A.; doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University; studied at Duke University. Began teaching in 1910 in Crenshaw Co., Ala.; 1917-1923 employed in Ramer, Madison, and…

  • HILL, ISAAC WILLIAM, 1861-1945

    Biography: Educator. Born– July 25, 1861, Auburn. Parents– Isaac and Harriet Elizabeth (Holt) Hill. Married– Laura Jones, June 18, 1890. Children–3. Education– Emory College, A.B., 1880, A.M., 1883. Teacher, Whitesville, Ga., 1881-1883; Easonville, Ala., 1883-1885, 1887-1891; Male and Female Academy, Sparta, Ga., 1885-1887; Springville, Ala., 1891-1893; Spring Lake College, 1893-1896. Superintendent of city schools, Gadsden,…

  • CHILTON, CLAUDIUS LYSIAS, 1856-1914

    Biography: Clergyman; evangelist; hymnodist. Born– April 27, 1856, Tuskegee. Parents– William Parish (Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court) and Elvira Frances (Morgan) Chilton. Married– Mabel Cecilia Pierce, December 3, 1878. Children– Nine. Education– left school at the age of fifteen after the death of his father. After studying for the ministry he was licensed to preach in…

  • BOATWRIGHT, RUTH FOREMAN, 1904-1980

    Biography: Teacher. Born– 1904, Thomasville. Parents–James and Orlena Foreman. Married– Booker T. Boatwright.  Education– Selma University and Alabama State College; Tuskegee Institute, M.A.; Wayne State University, post-graduate work. Employed as a supervisor of schools in Jefferson County for many years. After her retirement she devoted herself to church work. Died October 1980. Source: Gene Geiger,…

  • CHENEY, ANNE, 1944-2001

    Biography: University professor; literary scholar . Born– November 1, 1944, Birmingham. Parents– Alan Breck and Billie (Gunter) Cheney. Education– Birmingham Southern College, B.A., 1966; Florida State University, M.A., 1968, Ph.D., 1971. Taught English and American literature at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1968-2000.  Member American Culture Association, Modern Language Association, and other professional organizations. …

  • CHENEY, CORA, 1916-1999

    Biography: Author of children’s books; Episcopal priest. Born– December 20, 1916, Birmingham. Parents– Franklin C. and Irene (Denny) Cheney. Married– Benjamin Waring Partridge, Jr., September 2, 1939. Children– Four. Education– Florida State College for Women, 1934-1936; University of Georgia, A.B., 1938; Antioch College, M.Ed., 1971.  Author of over twenty books for children.  Ordained as an…

  • AXFORD, FAYE ACTON, 1925-2004

    Biography: Historian; clerical worker. Born– September 26, 1925, Birmingham. Parents– Pleasant Wiley and Adrian Mae (Bullock) Acton. Married– George Donnell Axford, March 4, 1949. Children– Two. Education– Howard College; University of Alabama in Birmingham. Worked at Exchange Security Bank, 1943-1950, 1970-1971. Moved to Athens, Ala., in 1971,  where she owned and managed a restaurant. Member…

  • PIKE, FLORA MAE MILNER, 1893-1990

    Biography: Civic and community leader.  Born– June 17, 1893, Tallapoosa County. Parents– Henry Harrison and Eliza (Phillips) Milner. Married– Ether J. Pike, 1911. Children– Five. Army Mothers Club, charter member and state chaplain;  Women’s Chamber of Commerce, board member; organized several civic and church organizations.  Named Alabama Woman of the Year, 1959, by United Press…

  • GODFREY, MARIE HAM, 1920-1983

    Biography: Genealogist. Born– February 4, 1920, Marengo Co. Parents– Ferm Wood and Sadie Alston (Spurlin) Ham. Married– Samuel Godfrey, October 15, 1941. Children– Three. Education– Study at Judson College, 1938; New College, University of Alabama. Qualified instructor in genealogy. After 1969, treasurer and office manager, Eufaula Pulpwood Co. Editor of the publication, Historic Eufaula. Member,…

  • SIBLEY, CELESTINE, 1917-1999

    Biography: Journalist, author. Born– May 23, 1917, in Holley, Fla; grew up in Creola, Alabama. Parents–  Henry Colley and Evelyn Barber Colley; adopted at age seven by her stepfather, Wesley Reeder Sibley. Married– James W. Little, August 30, 1936. Children– Three. Married– Jack Strong. Education– attended Spring Hill College and University of Florida. Began her…

  • GAY, WILLIAM TEAGUE, 1899-1981

    Biography: College professor. Born– September 29, 1899, Montgomery. Parents–John Floyd and Julia Elmetta Gay. Married–Lena Clair Butler.  Children–four. Education– University of Alabama, B.S., 1921, LL.B., 1923, M.A., 1928. Instructor in English, University of Florida, 1927-1930; head, English department, Georgia State College for Men, 1930-1933; literary research and writing, 1933-1935, 1945-1961; head, English department, Bob Jones…

  • BAREFIELD, MARILYN DAVIS HAHN, 1926-2005

    Biography: Genealogist; historian. Born– June 11, 1926, Birmingham. Parents– Fred Lewis and Gladys Scott (Sims) Davis. Married– Richard Neal Hahn, 1950 (divorced 1973). Children– Three. Married– Carr Byron Barefield, 1983. Married Frederick Mitchell Jackson, December 10, 1993. . Education– Attended Huntingdon College for two years. Worked for Vulcan Materials Company, 1945-1950; Lincoln National Life Insurance…

  • JOHNSON, ROBERT ERWIN, 1923-2008

    Biography: Historian, university professor of history. Born– February 3, 1923, Coos Bay, Or. Parents– Franz Oscar and Agnes (Sandquist) Johnson. Married– Vivian Ellis, December 19, 1959. Education– University of Oregon, B.A., 1951, M.A., 1953; Claremont Graduate School, Ph.D., 1956. U.S. Coast Guard, 1941-1946; active duty U.S. Naval Reserve, 1951-1952. Taught history at the University of Alabama, 1956-1993.…

  • BROUN, WILLIAM LE ROY, 1827-1902

    Biography: University professor, college president. Born– October 1, 1827, Middleburg (Loudoun County), Va. Parents– Edwin Conway and Elizabeth (Channel) Broun. Married– Sallie J. Fleming, November 1, 1859. Children– Seven. Education– University of Virginia, A. M.,  1850; postgraduate course in mathematics and German at UVA, 1852.  Taught at Oakland College in Mississippi, 1852-1854; University of Georgia, 1854-1856.…

  • GARRARD, JEANNE, 1923-1993

    Biography: Writer, journalist, teacher of writing. Born– April 9, 1923, Birmingham. Parents– Oscar and Jeanne (Holoman) Garrard. Married– Faber S. Ebersole, October 1, 1957. Education– Study at Stetson University, 1940-1942; Lindsey Hopkins Hotel School, 1959; divorced 1960. Writer, commentator, and director for newspapers and radio stations in Florida; various positions with Better Homes and Gardens…

  • DUNCAN, WINIFRED

    Biography; Dancer; naturalist; author.  Self-trained as a naturalist in Alabama and Mexico. As a dancer, performed with Isadora Duncan; member of a dance troupe that performed for soldiers in World War I.  Moved to Fairhope after World War II. Source; Introduction to The Butterfly Tree, University of Alabama Press, 1991. Publications; Artist’s Mermaid.  New Haven,…

  • SPARKMAN, BRANDON BUSTER, 1929-

    Biography: Educator. Born– Aug. 2, 1929 in Hartselle, Ala. Parents– George Olen and Mary Louise (Jones) Sparkman. Married– Wanda Phillips, Sept. 13, 1952. Children– Three. Education– Florence State University BS, 1952; University of Alabama, M.S., 1958; Ed.S., 1961; Auburn University, Ed.D., 1971.  Taught at Bear Creek (Alabama) High School, 1954-1955, and assistant principal, 1955-1957; principal…

  • BRAUNE, ANNA PARKER, 1908-1988

    Biography: Illustrator, librarian. Born– Albany, N.Y., August 5, 1908. Parents– Gustave M. and Mary Ida Braune.  Spent her childhood in Cincinnati, Ohio; Chapel Hill, N.C.; and Fairhope, Ala. Studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts, and at a school in Monton, France. Worked as a librarian…

  • MEADOR, DANIEL JOHN, 1926-2013

    Biography: Attorney; professor of law. Born– Selma, Ala., December 7, 1926. Parents– Daniel John and Mabel (Kirkpatrick) Meador. Married– Janet Caroline Heimann, November 19, 1955; married Alice P. Meador. Children– Four. Education– B.S., Auburn University, 1949; LL.B., University of Alabama, 1951; LL.M., Harvard University, 1954. Employed as a attorney, 1951; Judge Advocate General Corps, Korean…

  • McLIN, ELVA BELL, 1917-2015

    Biography; Professor of English; college archivist.  Born– June 5, 1917, Norcatur, Kansas.  Parents– James S. and Ruth Diefendorf Bell. Married–Paul E. McLin, October 18, 1940.  Children–four.  Education–  Kansas State Teachers College, B. S. Ed., B.A., 1940; University of Alabama, M. A., 1964; Peabody Institute of Vanderbilt University, Ph. D., 1971.  Taught at many levels;  Taught English at Athens…

  • BLALOCK, DELTON DENNIS, 1940-

    Biography: High school principal, personnel officer; genealogist. Born Hanceville, April 4, 1940. Parents– Dennis Liphus and Hazel Anne (Phillips) Blalock. Married– Sandra Lee Daniel, December 21, 1962 (divorced 1985). Children– Three. Married– Gail Katherine Aliano, May 25, 1984.  Married– Barbara Gail  Hamrick Chapman, December 16, 1989 (died 2000). Education– University of Alabama, B.A., 1962; M.A.,…

  • AMOS, HARRIET E.

    See DOSS, HARRIET E. AMOS

  • DOSS, HARRIET E. AMOS, 1950-

    Biography: Historian; University professor. Born– Mobile. Parents– Bevil T. and Nona S. Amos. Married–Chris Doss. Education– Agnes Scott College, A.B., 1972; Emory University, M.A., 1975; Ph.D., 1976. Taught at Northern Michigan University, 1977-1978; University of Alabama in Birmingham, 1978-present. Contributed articles to many journals and anthologies. Member of the Organization of American Historians, Southern History…

  • HURT, MELISSA DEARING JACK, 1911-2003

    Biography; Homemaker; writer. Born–October 29, 1911, Tuscaloosa.  Parents–Theodore Henley and Alice Ashley Jack.  Married– Charles Davis Hurt, November 23, 1933. Children–two. Education–Attended Wesleyan College, Macon; Emory University, B.A., 1932.  Wrote articles for various publications. Member Emory University Board of Visitors; Friends of Emory University Library; Colonial Dames.  Died August 3, 2003. Source; Alabama Bound; obituary Publications; Alabama…

  • BELL, ROBERT EUGENE, 1926-1999

    Biography: Librarian. Born– October 13, 1926, Tarrant City. Parents– Archer H. and Jessie Irene Adkins Bell. Education– Birmingham Southern College, B.A., 1950; Harvard University, M.A. in English, 1951; Louisiana State University, M.S. in Librarianship, 1967; University of California at Berkeley, Ph.D., 1974; also attended Columbia University and the University of Texas. Worked at the Birmingham Public Library,…

  • BEESON, JASPER LUTHER, 1867-1943

    Biography: College president; professor, chemist. Born– August 31, 1867, Keener. Parents– Captain W. B. and Mary A. (Sibert) Beeson. Married–Anna Leola Selman, 1894. Children– One. Education– University of Alabama, A.B., 1889; Johns Hopkins University, Ph.D., 1893. Instructor in physics at the University of Alabama and chemist with the Geological Survey of Alabama, 1888-1889; research chemist…