Peterkin, Julia Mood, 1880-1961

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American author.

From the description of Papers of Julia Mood Peterkin [manuscript], 1927-1931. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647870333

From the description of Autograph letters signed (4) : Lang Syne Plantation, Fort Motte, S.C., and New York, to Stark Young, [n.d.]. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270872100

Julia Mood Peterkin was a South Carolina novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1929 for her novel, Scarlet Sister Mary, which was later adapted for the stage.

From the description of Julia Mood Peterkin letter, 1938. (University of Georgia). WorldCat record id: 316803583

Julia Mood Peterkin was born to Dr. and Mrs. Julius Mood in Laurens, S.C. Her mother died when she was a few months old. Her father returned to Sumter, S.C. with his children who were then reared by a grandfather and a nanny. Julia, at age 16, graduated from Converse College and returned the next year for her M.A. degree. She specialized in music. Several years later she married William G. Peterkin, a large planter at Fort Motte, S.C. Isolated on Lang Syne plantation with her husband and son and the plantation workers, she recorded stories, superstitions, and customs of plantation life. Each week she traveled to Columbia for piano lessons under Dr. Bellamon who was also a literary critic and poet. He was fascinated by her story telling and her handling of the difficult Gullah dialect and insisted that she write her plantation stories.

She wrote in a one-room cabin some hundreds of feet from the "big house." Her work was submitted to H.L. Mencken whose criticisms were very positive. She published a number of stories and two books before she received the Pulitzer Prize for her third book, Scarlet Sister Mary, in 1928. She was acclaimed by critics as one of the best writers on plantation life. Her other books were Green Thursday (1924), Black April (1927), Bright Skin (1932), and Roll, Jordan, Roll (1933). Mrs. Peterkin died August 1961, age 80, in Orangeburg Memorial Hospital.

From the description of Peterkin collection, 1922-1964 (bulk 1920-1930's). (Clemson University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 24132853

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Peterkin, Julia Mood, 1880-1961. Letter, 1932 Mar. 21, Fort Motte, S.C., to May Dwyer, Waverly, Mass. University of Michigan
creatorOf Peterkin, Julia Mood, 1880-1961. Papers of Julia Mood Peterkin [manuscript], 1927-1931. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Hawkins, Arthur. Papers of Arthur Hawkins [manuscript], 1929-1970. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Peterkin, Julia Mood, 1880-1961. Julia Mood Peterkin vertical files collection, 1927-1936. University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn Sigmund, Jay G., 1885-1937. Papers, 1911-1975. University of Iowa Libraries
creatorOf Peterkin, Julia, 1880-1961. Autograph letters signed (4) : Lang Syne Plantation, Fort Motte, S.C., and New York, to Stark Young, [n.d.]. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Barrett, Oliver R. (Oliver Roger), 1873-1950. Oliver R. Barrett papers, 1925-1929 [manuscript]. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
referencedIn Long, Edgar, 1886-1947. Edgar Long papers, 1896-1950; (bulk, 1927-1950) University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn Pearlstine, Shep, 1867-1951. Shep Pearlstine papers, 1900-1979. University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
creatorOf Peterkin, Julia Mood, 1880-1961. Julia Mood Peterkin letter, 1938.
creatorOf Scott, Evelyn, 1893-1963. Evelyn Scott Collection, 1894-1952. Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
referencedIn Seydell, Mildred, 1889-1988. Mildred Seydell papers, 1842-1978. Emory University. Special Collections and Archives
referencedIn Wertz, Wilbur Schumpert, 1912-1978. Wilbur Schumpert Wertz papers, 1926-1978; (bulk, 1926-1951). University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn Young, Platt, b. 1875. Platt Young scrapbook, 1923-1931.
referencedIn Estill Book Club (Hampton County, S.C.). Records, 1913-2006. University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn Houghton Mifflin Company contracts, 1831-1979 (inclusive) 1880-1940 (bulk). Houghton Library
creatorOf Peterkin, Julia Mood, 1880-1961. Correspondence file, 1930, from Horace Liveright, Inc. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Wilson, James Southall, 1880-1963. Papers of James Southall Wilson, 1928-1959. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Peterkin, Julia Mood, 1880-1961. Peterkin collection, 1922-1964 (bulk 1920-1930's). Clemson University Libraries, Robert Muldrow Cooper Library
referencedIn Elizabeth Shepley Sergeant papers Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
creatorOf Bromfield, Louis, 1896-1956. Correspondence, 1924-1946. Ohio State University Libraries
referencedIn Behrend, B. A. (Bernard Arthur), 1875-. Papers of Bernard Behrend, 1830-1982, (bulk: 1890-1932) American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library
referencedIn Mikell, Isaac Jenkins, 1851-1926. Isaac Jenkins Mikell papers, 1839-1926. University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn Durham, Frank. Frank Durham papers, 193u-1972. University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn Stackhouse, Eunice Temple Ford, 1885-1980. Eunice Temple Ford Stackhouse papers, 1910-1980. University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn Papers of the Withers and Cardwell families, 1857-1942. University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn Matteson, Maurice. Maurice Matteson papers, 1901-1972. University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn Govan, Christine Noble, 1898-1985. Gilbert and Christine Govan letters, circa 1932-1973. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Library
referencedIn South Carolina Committee for the Humanities. A Celebration of Carolina Writers : records, 1987 / South Carolina Committee for the Humanities. University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn Mood, Laura, b. 1878. Laura Mood papers, 1905-1966. University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn Flagg, Mildred Buchanan, 1886-1980. Papers, 1876-1955 (inclusive), 1900-1955 (bulk). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Newman, Frances, d. 1928. Frances Newman collection, 1924-1954. Emory University. Special Collections and Archives
referencedIn Irving Fineman Papers, 1919-1976 Syracuse University. Library. Special Collections Research Center
creatorOf Sigmund, Jay G., 1885-1937. Papers of Jay Sigmund, 1911-1975. University of Iowa Libraries
referencedIn Hungerpiller, John C. John C Hungerpiller papers, 1872-1978 (bulk, 1907-1978). University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn Rosengarten, Dale, 1948-. Oral history interview with Mordecai (Mortie) Cohen and Dorothy (Dutch) Idalin Gelson Cohen, 1997. College of Charleston, Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library
creatorOf Wilson, James Southall, 1880-1963. Correspondence relating to the Southern Writers Convention sponsored by the "Virginia Quarterly Review" at the University of Virginia, October 23-24, 1931 [manuscript], 1931-1932. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Evelyn Scott Collection TXRC98-A5., 1894-1952 Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
referencedIn Behrend, B. A. (Bernhard Arthur), 1875-. Bernhard A. Behrend collection, 1830-1982, (bulk 1890-1932) Clemson University Libraries, Robert Muldrow Cooper Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Aley, Maxwell, 1889- person
associatedWith Barrett, Oliver R. (Oliver Roger), 1873-1950. person
associatedWith Behrend, B. A. (Bernard Arthur), 1875- person
associatedWith Behrend, B. A. (Bernhard Arthur), 1875- person
associatedWith Blum, Charles, person
associatedWith Bromfield, Louis, 1896-1956. person
associatedWith Durham, Frank. person
associatedWith Dwyer, May. person
associatedWith Estill Book Club (Hampton County, S.C.) corporateBody
associatedWith Fineman, Irving, 1893- person
associatedWith Flagg, Mildred Buchanan, 1886-1980. person
associatedWith Govan, Christine Noble, 1898-1985. person
associatedWith Hawkins, Arthur. person
associatedWith Henry, Louis, Lee 1931- person
associatedWith Houghton Mifflin Company. corporateBody
correspondedWith Hungerpiller, John C person
correspondedWith Kowan, Michael person
correspondedWith Long, Edgar, 1886-1947. person
correspondedWith Matteson, Maurice. person
associatedWith Mikell, Isaac Jenkins, 1851-1926. person
associatedWith Mood, Laura, b. 1878. person
associatedWith Newman, Frances, d. 1928. person
correspondedWith Pearlstine, Shep, 1867-1951. person
associatedWith Pierpont Morgan Library. Young Collection. corporateBody
associatedWith Salpeter, Harry, 1895-1967, person
associatedWith Saraceno, Salvatore, person
associatedWith Scott, Evelyn, 1893-1963 person
associatedWith Sergeant, Elizabeth Shepley, 1881-1965. person
associatedWith Seydell, Mildred, 1889-1988. person
associatedWith Sigmund, Jay G., 1885-1937. person
associatedWith South Carolina Committee for the Humanities. corporateBody
associatedWith Stackhouse, Eunice Temple Ford, 1885-1980. person
associatedWith Warren, Dale, 1897- person
associatedWith Wertz, Wilbur Schumpert, 1912-1978. person
associatedWith Wilson, James Southall, 1880-1963. person
correspondedWith Young, Platt, b. 1875. person
associatedWith Young, Stark, 1881-1963, person
Place Name Admin Code Country
South Carolina
Georgetown County (S.C.)
South Carolina
South Carolina
Southern States
Subject
African Americans
African Americans
Authors, American
Women authors
Fiction
Plantation life
Sea Islands Creole dialect
Superstition
Writing
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1880-10-31

Death 1961

Americans

English

Information

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SNAC ID: 71124139