Jesse Stuart - (1906-1984)
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"I know as surely as I live and breathe the positive proof of what education can do for a man." Jesse Stuart, The Thread that Runs so True
I. Biography
Jesse Stuart was born August 8, 1906 in a small cabin in Greenup County
, Kentucky a few miles from the Ohio River. His parents were Mitchell and Martha Hilton Stuart, and he was the second of seven children. Jesse Stuart's father was a coal miner and a tenant farmer,
and even though he was uneducated, Stuart had an incredible amount of respect for him. Mitchell Stuart's philosophy was, "Since I didn't get any education, I don't want my
youngins to grow up in this world without it. They'll never know what they're missin' until they don't have it" (Stuart To Teach 11). Jesse Stuart started school at Plum Grove in
1912. He was an eager and competitive student, and he wrote his first short story about the Easter Bunny at the age of eight (Richardson 11). Stuart was extremely bright,
reaching the seventh grade by the time he was ten years old (17). In 1922, Jesse Stuart started to attend Greenup High School. Stuart continued to be a
strong student, and really developed as a writer during his high school years (Richardson 44). The summer after his junior year, he "sat in for the teachers' examination and got a second-class certificate" (Stuart To Teach
62). That summer he got his first taste of teaching, at Cane Creek Elementary School (Richardson 52-53). Stuart graduated in 1926, and in September he was accepted to Lincoln Memorial
University in Harrogate, Tennessee. He called it "the college that'd take me," and he worked for the school in his free time in order to pay his tuition (Richardson, 67). He wrote
about five hundred poems there, and in three years became "the first of [his] father's people to finish college" (Stuart To Teach 133). After his graduation, Stuart returned to
W-Hollow and got a teaching job. He was a successful teacher, and was made principal of Greenup High School the following year (Ballard). After two years back home, he once
again ventured abroad, to attend the graduate school at Vanderbilt University (Jesse Stuart). Jesse Stuart returned to Kentucky in 1932, and by the time he was twenty-four years old,
he was asked to be the superintendent of Greenup County Schools (Stuart Thread 143). After a few years of serving in this position, Stuart received a Guggenheim Fellowship and
traveled to Scotland, the home of his ancestors. He stated that his plan was to "[
] discover existing similarities in the highlanders of Kentucky and Scotland Certain
surviving traits as indicated in the poetry and song in the Kentucky Highlanders of Scottish ancestry" (Richardson 236). When he returned to his home, he started a
newspaper and taught a year at Portsmouth High School (Barringer). After his year at Portsmouth, Jesse Stuart left the profession of teaching to become a
sheep farmer. He married his childhood sweetheart Naomi Deane Norris on October 14, 1939, and together they lived in W-Hollow, running the farm while Stuart worked on his first novel, Trees of Heaven (Stuart Thread
288-293). His daughter Jane was born August 20, 1942. For the next two decades, Jesse Stuart raised sheep, published books, and gave lectures around the country (Richardson 377).
In 1960, already established as a successful and famous American author, Stuart traveled to Egypt. He spent the next ten years teaching and lecturing all over the world (Richardson
387-421). When Stuart returned to W-Hollow, he stayed there for the rest of his life. He continued to write and publish books until 1977 when his health began to decline. For
eight years, he suffered frequent heart attacks and strokes, finally passing away on February 17, 1984 (437-467). He was buried in Plum Grove Cemetery in Greenup, Kentucky,
in the land where his old school once stood (Ballard). Jesse Stuart lived in Greenup for most of his life, but he made a mark on the entire world. In his biography, Beyond Dark Hills
, Stuart declared, "[
] these hills will not always hold me. I shall go beyond them some day"(Richardson 21). He fulfilled this desire both literally and figuratively, traveling
to all fifty U.S. states and over thirty countries, and leaving a legacy of more than 60 published works. II. Influences
"And I am firm in my belief that a teacher lives on and on through his students. I will live if my teaching is inspirational, good, and stands firm
for good values and character training. Tell me how can good teaching ever die? Good teaching is forever and the teacher is immortal." - The Thread that Runs so True
High School Jesse Stuart's first major influence was his English teacher at Greenup High School, Mrs. R. E. Hatton. She recognized him as a very strong English student and encouraged him to
write short stories. Stuart would often stop by before and after class to chat with her, and according to her son Robert Hatton, "Jesse used to take Mother out to pick wild flowers
together" (Richardson 43). Stuart was Mrs. Hatton's favorite student, and he thought of her as his "literary mother" (44). Dr. Robert Edward Hatton, Mrs. Hatton's husband and the principal of the school, also
served as a mentor to the young Jesse Stuart. They studied the Bible together, and Stuart credited Mr. Hatton with helping him to undergo the spiritual realization that motivated him
to achieve so much in later years (Richardson 44). One Bible verse, Luke 17:21, stayed with Stuart for his entire life. The verse reads, "'Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or lo there! For
behold, the kingdom of God is within you.'" These words served as the foundation for Stuart's autobiography, The Kingdom Within (44).
In high school, Jesse Stuart read a book of poetry by Robert Burns and was awed by the writer's talent, saying, "my prayer, if I ever prayed one then, was to write poetry that would endure like the poetry of Robert Burns" (Stuart
To Teach 55). Jesse Stuart was also impressed with Emerson's essay, Nature. "Emerson lived with me. He walked up that ridge with me" (Stuart qtd. in Richardson 47). College At Lincoln Memorial University, Stuart's English professor Harry Harrison Kroll was an influential advisor to the aspiring writer. Stuart's friend Lucille Jordan said that "'Kroll was
his ideal'" (Richardson 81). In his autobiography, To Teach, To Love, Stuart says, "I remember when Mr. Kroll told me that poetry was my field and for me to 'go after it.' He
told me to bring two or more poems to the class, and I went with sixty poems and felt a little hurt when I didn't get to read all of them" (115).
Also at LMU, "[Stuart] received intellectual stimulation from his classmates Don West and James Still, who were later to also achieve recognition for their literary portrayal of mountain people" (Jesse Stuart
). Stuart befriended West, and the two would remain friends long after their college days. As a graduate student at Vanderbilt University, Stuart exchanged ideas with Robert Penn
Warren, who would later become famous as well (Jesse Stuart). The two authors remained friends after college and wrote introductions for a few of each other's works.
III. Writing Habits and Locations "Jesse Stuart represents the viable elements of regionalism. Born in the northeast corner of
Kentucky, a lifelong resident of the area, a farmer, schoolteacher, hunter, and fisherman in Greenup, Carter, and Floyd counties, he brings to his fiction ancestral links with the region,
personal familiarity with places and history, sympathy with and even at times a little scorn for the indigenous citizenry." John T. Flanagan (Essays on His Work 71-72)
Although Jesse Stuart Ventured outside of W-Hollow many times during his life, he always returned to the place of his birth. His stories all characterize the type of people he knew
and depict the way of life he grew up with. In his poem, "Kentucky is My Land," Stuart expresses his love for his homeland. "[
] And when I go beyond the border,
Jesse Stuart was constantly writing during his life. He wrote hundreds of poems in college, and no matter what his current profession was, he always kept a side project of a story,
novel, or book of poetry going. Stuart said in the application for his Guggenheim Fellowship, "
I just love to write. I love to make living people I know move for me on
paper. I wrote poetry all the time I was in college all the time I was in the mills where there were clouds of smoke by day and pillars of fire by night" (Richardson 237). IV. Awards
In 1954, Jesse Stuart was named Poet Laureate of Kentucky. V. The Complete Works of Jesse Stuart Autobiography, Autobiographical Fiction, and Biography: Novels: Poetry Collections:
Short Story Collections (some with poems included): Junior Books: Essay Collections: Short Volumes: Co-authored works:
Up the Hollow from Lynchburg. With photographer Joe Clark. Introduction and descriptive text by Jesse Stuart. 1975. Edited Works:
VI. Critical Reviews of Stuart's Work On the Web: This site contains a critical review of Stuart's "Dawn of Remembered Spring" by Danny L.
Miller. http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/htallant/border/bs8/dmiller.htm This site contains an essay by Amanda McCullough about nature imagery in the works of Jesse Stuart and William Wordsworth.
http://athena.english.vt.edu/~appalach/essaysS/stuword.htm Articles Hopkinson, Shirley L. "Jesse Stuart on Education." Library Journal. 15 Nov 1991: 93.
Books: Herndon, Jerry A. Jesse Stuart, The Man & His Books. Ashland: The Jesse Stuart Foundation, l988. Clarke, Mary Washington and J. R. LeMaster, eds.
Jesse Stuart: Essays on His Work. VII. Where to Find Jesse Stuart Collections
The Camden-Carroll Library at Morehead State University (http://www.morehead-st.edu/units/library/index.html) contains an extensive collection of Jesse Stuart's works and manuscripts.
The Special Collections Department at Murray State's Forrest C. Pogue Library (http://www.murraystate.edu/msml/Pogue.html) contains a collection of Jesse Stuart photographs, first editions, manuscripts, and memorabilia.
The Special Collections Department at Eastern Kentucky University (http://www.library.eku.edu/SCA/) has a series of recorded lectures presented by Jesse
Stuart while he served as an author-in-residence at EKU in 1966. The tapes have not been transcribed, but they can be listened to at the university library. (http://www.library.eku.edu/SCA/oralhist3.htm) The Jesse Stuart Foundation VIII. Links
http://athena.english.vt.edu/~appalach/writersS/stuart.html http://www.english.eku.edu/SERVICES/KYLIT/STUART1.HTM http://www.morehead-st.edu/projects/village/jshome.html http://www.kynaturepreserves.org/stuart.html http://www.louisville.edu/library/ekstrom/govpubs/states/kentucky/kylit/stuart.html IX. Works Cited
Ballard, Jamie. "Jesse Stuart." KYLIT A Site Devoted to Kentucky Writers. http://www.english.eku.edu/SERVICES/KYLIT/STUART1.HTM. 6 Feb. 2001. Barringer, Chad. Jesse Stuart
. http://athena.english.vt.edu/~appalach/writersS/stuart.html. 23 Feb. 2001. Clarke, Mary Washington and J. R. LeMaster, eds. Jesse Stuart: Essays on His Work.
Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 1977. Jesse Stuart. http://www.morehead-st.edu/projects/village/jshome.html. 6 Feb. 2001. Richardson, H. Edward.
Jesse: The Biography of an American Writer ~ Jesse Hilton Stuart. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1984. Stuart, Jesse. The Thread That Runs So True
. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1949. Stuart, Jesse. To Teach, To Love. New York: The World Publishing Company, 1970.
This essay was submitted by a student of Breen Reardon, an English teacher at Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.
I take with me growth and beauty of the seasons,
The music of wind in pine and cedar tops,
The wordless songs of snow-melted water
When it pours over the rocks to wake the spring.
I take with me Kentucky embedded in my brain and heart,
In my flesh and bone and blood
Since I am of Kentucky
And Kentucky is part of me" (Jesse Stuart).
In 1955, Stuart received the Academy of American Poets Award.
In 1975, Stuart was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
In 1981, Stuart was honored with the Kentucky Media Award.
(Total of 62)
Beyond Dark Hills: A Personal Story. 1938.
The Thread That Runs So True. 1949.
The Year of My Rebirth. 1956.
God's Oddling: The Story of Mick Stuart, My Father. 1960.
To Teach, To Love. 1970.
My World. 1975.
Dandelion on the Acropolis: A Journal of Greece. 1978.
The Kingdom Within: A Spiritual Autobiography. 1979.
Trees of Heaven. 1940.
Taps for Private Tussie. 1943.
Mongrel Mettle: The Autobiography of a Dog. 1944.
Foretaste of Glory. 1946.
Hie to the Hunters. 1950.
The Good Spirit of Laurel Ridge. 1953.
Daughter of the Legend. 1965.
Mr. Gallion's School. 1967.
The Land Beyond the River. 1973.
Harvest of Youth. 1930.
Man With a Bull-Tongue Plow. 1934.
Album of Destiny. 1944.
Kentucky Is My Land. 1952.
Hold April: New Poems by Jesse Stuart. 1962.
Autumn Lovesong: A Celebration of Love's Fulfillment. 1971.
The World of Jesse Stuart: Selected Poems. 1975.
The Seasons of Jesse Stuart: An Autobiography in Poetry 1907-1976. 1976.
Head o' W-Hollow. 1936.
Tales from the Plum Grove Hills. 1940.
Men of the Mountains. 1941.
Clearing in the Sky & Other Stories. 1950.
Plowshare in Heaven. 1958.
A Jesse Stuart Reader: Stories and Poems. 1963.
Save Every Lamb. 1964.
A Jesse Stuart Harvest. 1965.
My Land Has a Voice. 1966.
Stories by Jesse Stuart. 1968.
Come Gentle Spring. 1969.
Seven by Jesse. 1970.
Come Back to the Farm. 1971.
The Best-Loved Stories of Jesse Stuart. 1972.
Dawn of Remembered Spring. 1972.
32 Votes Before Breakfast: Politics at the Grass Roots as Seen in Short Stories by Jesse Stuart. 1974.
The Short Stories. 1974.
Land of the Honey-Colored Wind. 1982.
The Beatinest Boy. 1953.
A Penny's Worth of Character. 1954.
Red Mule. 1955.
The Rightful Owner. 1960.
Andy Finds a Way. 1961.
A Ride with Huey, the Engineer. 1966.
Old Ben. 1970.
Come to My Tomorrowland. 1971.
If I Were Seventeen Again and Other Essays. 1980.
Lost Sandstones and Lonely Skies and Other Essays. 1980.
Stories:
Time, a Story. 1939.
Huey, the Engineer. 1960.
Split Cherry Tree. 1990.
Essay:
Honest Confession of a Literary Sin. 1977.
Address:
Rebels with a Cause. Delivered May 29, 1967.
The Only Place We Live. With August Derleth and Robert E. Gard. Ed. Mark E. LeFebvre. 1976.
Outlooks Through Literature, as editor, with Robert C. Pooley, Lillian White, Jay Cline. 1954.
Short Stories for Discussion, as editor, with Albert K. Rideout. 1965.
Bowers, John. "Jesse." The New York Times Book Review. 19 Aug 1984: 11.
"Best-loved Short Stories of Jesse Stuart." Publishers Weekly. 20 Aug 1982: 57.
Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 1977
Dr. James Gifford, Executive Director
P.O. Box 391
Ashland, Kentucky 41114
This site contains a short biography of Jesse Stuart by Chad Barringer.
This site contains a short biography of Jesse Stuart by Jamie Ballard.
This site contains a biographical sketch of Jesse Stuart, a few selected works, comments
about Stuart by other authors, and a chronological list of all of Stuart's works.
This is the official site of the Jesse Stuart Nature Preserve in Greenup County Kentucky.
This is a University of Louisville Ekstrom Library site with a reference to Jesse Stuart's
Poet Laureate Award in 1954. It contains links to some of the sites already listed above and links to information about other Kentucky authors.