John Fox, Jr., Duncan Tavern papers
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- John Fox, Jr., Duncan Tavern papers
- Date
- 1883-1919, undated
- Creator
- Fox, John, 1863-1919
- Extent
- 0.45 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Appalachian authors
- Correspondence.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format.
- Preferred Citation
- 1997ms203: [identification of item], John Fox, Jr., Duncan Tavern papers, 1883-1919, undated University of Kentucky Special Collections.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- John Fox, Jr., American author, was born on December 16, 1862, in the town of Stony Point in Bourbon County, Kentucky. His father was headmaster of Stony Point Academy, a private boarding school that Fox attended from 1867 to 1875. He attended Transylvania University in Lexington for two years before entering Harvard University in 1880 to study English. Fox graduated in 1883 as the youngest member of his class. Fox worked briefly as a reporter for the New York Sun and the New York Times while also attending Columbia University Law School. He was unable to finish his studies and returned to Kentucky in 1885 due to ill health.
- In 1888 Fox moved with his family to Big Stone Gap in western Virginia, near the Cumberland Gap. Through walking tours of the area along the Kentucky-Virginia border, he developed a strong interest in the people and culture of the region. In 1892 Fox published "A Mountain Europa" as a serial in Century Magazine. The work was a success and led to other opportunities to publish short stories, articles, and travel sketches in magazines such as Scribner’s Magazine, Ladies Home Journal, Harper’s Weekly, and Harper’s Monthly. Fox continued on to publish 14 novels and 45 short stories, including A Cumberland Vendetta and Other Stories (1895), Hell-Fer-Sartain and Other Stories (1897), The Kentuckians (1897), A Mountain Europa (1899), The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1903), and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1908). The novel The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come was the first American literary work to sell a million copies in the United States.
- Fox was active as an author, journalist, and lecturer until his death in 1919. In 1898 Fox traveled to Cuba for Harper’s Weekly to report on the Spanish-American War. He later served in 1904 as a war correspondent for Scribner’s Magazine in Japan during the Russo-Japanese War. His experiences in Japan resulted in the book Following the Sun Flag: A Vain Pursuit Through Manchuria (1905).
- Fox married opera singer Fritzi Scheff in December 1908, but the union ended in divorce four years later. On July 8, 1919, Fox died of pneumonia while on a fishing trip near Norton, Virginia. In 1949, the Duncan Tavern Library was established in Paris, Kentucky, to honor Fox.
- Sources: "About John Fox, Jr." Duncan Tavern Library. Accessed April 23, 2014. http://www.duncantavern.com/aboutjohnfox.html.
- Hall, Wade. "Fox, John, Jr." In The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by John E. Kleber, 351-352. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 1992.
- Scope and Content
- The John Fox, Jr., Duncan Tavern papers (dated 1883-1919, undated; 0.45 cubic feet; 1 box) comprises correspondence and manuscripts from Duncan Tavern, Paris, Kentucky, that document Kentucky author John Fox, Jr. (1863-1919). The correspondence includes letters from Fox's publishers, S.S. McClure and Harper & Brothers, as well as letters to Fox's mother, Minerva Carr Fox, and sister, Elizabeth Carr Fox Moore (Mrs. William Cabell Moore).
- There are also sales statements and royalty statements for Hell fer Sartain, The Kentuckians, and Cumberland Vendetta. Also included is a partial galley proof for Erskine Dale--Pioneer and a manuscript of the script for the drama version of The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come. The collection also contains John Fox, Jr.'s notebook while attending Columbia University Law School.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- Property rights reside with the University of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky holds the copyright for materials created in the course of business by University of Kentucky employees. Copyright for all other materials has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact Special Collections.
Contents of the Collection
Correspondence, 1895-1919
Scope and Contents note
The Correspondence series primarily comprises correspondence with John Fox, Jr.'s publishers and two relatives that document the publication of various novels and short stories. Also includes sales statements and royalty statements that relate to works mentioned in the letters.
There is correspondence with publishers Harper & Brothers and S.S. McClure Company. (March 23, 1895-November 1896), including sales statements for his work Cumberland Vendetta. Also there is publishers' correspondence (March 1897-November 1900) with J. Henry Harper, John D. Bary, H.L. Nelson, H.G. Paine, and August F. Jaccaci (McClure's Magazine) about The Kentuckians and royalty statements for Hell fer Sartain, The Kentuckians, and Cumberland Vendetta. Includes eighteen letters written from Big Stone Gap, Virginia, to his mother, Minerva Carr Fox, and four letters written to his sister, Elizabeth Carr Fox Moore (Mrs. William Cabell Moore) between 1901 and 1919.
Publishers' correspondence, 1895-1900
General correspondence, 1901-1919
Memorandum of sales, 1895-1897
Columbia Law School notebook, circa 1883
- Box 1, Folder 4
Scope and Contents note
The series contains John Fox, Jr.'s notebook from his time as a student at Columbia University Law School, approximately 1883.
Manuscripts, undated
Scope and Contents note
The Manuscripts series comprises a partial galley proof for Erksine Dale--Pioneer (pages 130-258) and several manuscripts of the script for the drama version of The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come.
Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, undated
Erskine Dale-Pioneer, undated
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Table of Contents
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
