Randall Parrish
Encyclopedia
Randall Parrish was an American
author of dime novel
s, including Wolves of the Sea (Being a Tale of the Colonies from the Manuscript of One Geoffry Carlyle, Seaman, Narrating Certain Strange Adventures Which Befell Him Aboard the Pirate Craft "Namur").
, the only son of Rufus Parker and Frances Adeline (Hollis) Parrish. He was born in "Rose Cottage" on June 10, 1858, at what was later the site of the city's Methodist Episcopal church. The old family home was at Gilmanton, New Hampshire
, but the parents removed to Kewanee from Boston
, where Rufus Parker Parrish had been engaged in business and was prominently associated with William Lloyd Garrison
and others in the anti-slavery cause. Both parents had a wide acquaintance with the famous Boston citizens of that era, including Longfellow
, Holmes
, Whittier
, Wendell Phillips
and Emerson
. They came to Kewanee, then the merest excuse of a village, in April, 1855, the husband becoming connected with the pioneer store of Morse & Willard, then situated at the corner of Main and Fourth streets. A little later the firm became Parrish & Faulkner, the business finally being sold to Elias Lyman, being thus the nucleus for the large department store of Lyman-Lay Company. From the time of arrival until his death in 1903 Mr. Parrish was ranked among the most prominent citizens of this community, where he conducted a book store and held many offices of trust. St John's Episcopal church was established and maintained largely through his efforts and for twenty-five years he was president of the public library board.
George Randall Parrish was educated in the Kewanee public schools, graduating from the old academy building in the second class, that of 1875, being on that occasion the class prophet. In addition he attended Allen's Academy at Lake Forest, Illinois
, and Griswold College, Davenport, Iowa
. Deciding upon law as a profession, he took one year at the Union College of Law, Chicago, completing his course at the Iowa State University
, where he won the state bar prize for the best essay on a legal topic. He was admitted before the supreme court of Iowa in May, 1879, but his certificate was withheld until he became of age. Mr. Parrish went immediately to Wichita, Kansas
, and became an assistant in the law office of William C. Little, a year later forming a partnership with E. S. Martin, at one time principal of the Kewanee high school. Devoting much time to politics and having achieved a reputation as a public speaker, he was elected city attorney, besides being a delegate to county and state conventions.
His health breaking down from close confinement, he crossed the plains in 1882 with a cattle party, walking most of the way to Las Vegas, New Mexico
. Arriving there he discovered conditions had arisen in Wichita which left him practically moneyless and compelled him to labor at anything possible. During the next few months he worked at track-laying, engine wiping and firing between Las Vegas and Albuquerque
, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, finally going as a sheep driver to Fort Sumner
. He was camped on the outskirts of that place when Billy the Kid
was killed by the sheriff of Lincoln County
, and saw the desperado both before and after death. Joining a party of prospectors, the next few months were passed in the wildest regions of Arizona
. Gold was found, but within the limits of an Apache
reservation, and the party was driven out by United States soldiers. After suffering many hardships en route, Mr. Parrish reached Greeley, Colorado
, and secured work on the Greeley-Loveland
canal, a little later making his way to Denver. Here he became connected as a reporter with the Rocky Mountain News
and began a newspaper career, extending over a number of years, serving for various periods with metropolitan and country publications and in every branch of the work. He worked at other times on the Grafton
(Nebraska) Leader, Kewanee (Illinois) Courier and Independent, Sioux City
(Iowa) Times, Omaha
(Nebraska) World-Herald and the Chicago Times
.
ministry, being licensed by the Elkhorn Association and given charge of churches at Leigh
and Howells, Nebraska
. He was later ordained by the Blue Valley Association and held pastorates at Harvard, Nebraska
, Mattoon, Illinois
, Constantine, Michigan
, and Marshalltown, Iowa
. He was chairman of the Home Missionary Committee for Southern Illinois and one of the founders of Southern Collegiate Institute at Albion. In 1888 he stumped the entire state of Nebraska under the Republican state committee, accompanied by a double quartette of ladies, and later lectured extensively throughout many northern states.
In 1887 Parrish was married to Miss Mary A. Hammon, of Clarkson, Nebraska
, and four children were born unto this union, two of whom survived to adulthood, namely: Robert Arthur, a cadet at St. John's Military Academy, Delafield, Wisconsin
; and Philip Hammon, of Lynch, Nebraska
. Parrish was divorced in 1899.
, and later engaged in commercial journalism. August 6 of that year he was married to Rose I. Tyrell, of Kewanee, and the following spring published his first work of fiction, When Wilderness Was King, through A. C. McClurg & Company, Chicago, also publishers of his subsequent books. This manuscript was submitted and accepted when but half completed and for a first book met with remarkable sale. All of his previous experience, the atmosphere of culture and refinement of his boyhood home, his literary and legal education, the hardships and privations which he endured upon the plains of the west, his campaign experiences and his labors in the ministry, all constituted a preparation and equipment for the work which he is now doing in the literary world, and which has made him one of the most successful of the modern writers. Since the publication of his first book he devoted his entire time to literary work, having published the following books of fiction and history: My Lady of the North (1904); A Sword of the Old Frontier (1905); Bob Hampton of Placer (1906); Historic Illinois (1906); Beth Norvell (1907); The Great Plains (1907); Prisoners of Chance (1908); The Last Voyage of the Donna Isabel (1908); My Lady of the South (1909). Many of these have been credited among the "six best sellers," and received high praise both at home and abroad.
Since 1904 Mr. Parrish made his home at Kewanee, in the old family house at 235 South Chestnut Street, which was built in 1859. He served as one of the directors of the Commercial Club, was leading knight of the local Elks Lodge
, and was a frequent speaker at public meetings throughout Illinois.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of dime novel
Dime novel
Dime novel, though it has a specific meaning, has also become a catch-all term for several different forms of late 19th-century and early 20th-century U.S...
s, including Wolves of the Sea (Being a Tale of the Colonies from the Manuscript of One Geoffry Carlyle, Seaman, Narrating Certain Strange Adventures Which Befell Him Aboard the Pirate Craft "Namur").
Early life
Parrish was born in the city of KewaneeKewanee, Illinois
Kewanee is a city in Henry County, Illinois, United States. "Kewanee" is the Winnebago word for prairie chicken, which lekked there. The population was 12,916 at the 2010 census, down from 12,944 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, the only son of Rufus Parker and Frances Adeline (Hollis) Parrish. He was born in "Rose Cottage" on June 10, 1858, at what was later the site of the city's Methodist Episcopal church. The old family home was at Gilmanton, New Hampshire
Gilmanton, New Hampshire
Gilmanton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,777 at the 2010 census. Gilmanton includes the villages of Gilmanton Corner and Gilmanton Ironworks...
, but the parents removed to Kewanee from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, where Rufus Parker Parrish had been engaged in business and was prominently associated with William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known as the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United...
and others in the anti-slavery cause. Both parents had a wide acquaintance with the famous Boston citizens of that era, including Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
, Holmes
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was an American physician, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat...
, Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...
, Wendell Phillips
Wendell Phillips
Wendell Phillips was an American abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans, and orator. He was an exceptional orator and agitator, advocate and lawyer, writer and debater.-Education:...
and Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
. They came to Kewanee, then the merest excuse of a village, in April, 1855, the husband becoming connected with the pioneer store of Morse & Willard, then situated at the corner of Main and Fourth streets. A little later the firm became Parrish & Faulkner, the business finally being sold to Elias Lyman, being thus the nucleus for the large department store of Lyman-Lay Company. From the time of arrival until his death in 1903 Mr. Parrish was ranked among the most prominent citizens of this community, where he conducted a book store and held many offices of trust. St John's Episcopal church was established and maintained largely through his efforts and for twenty-five years he was president of the public library board.
George Randall Parrish was educated in the Kewanee public schools, graduating from the old academy building in the second class, that of 1875, being on that occasion the class prophet. In addition he attended Allen's Academy at Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest is an affluent city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The city is south of Waukegan along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in...
, and Griswold College, Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
. Deciding upon law as a profession, he took one year at the Union College of Law, Chicago, completing his course at the Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
, where he won the state bar prize for the best essay on a legal topic. He was admitted before the supreme court of Iowa in May, 1879, but his certificate was withheld until he became of age. Mr. Parrish went immediately to Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, and became an assistant in the law office of William C. Little, a year later forming a partnership with E. S. Martin, at one time principal of the Kewanee high school. Devoting much time to politics and having achieved a reputation as a public speaker, he was elected city attorney, besides being a delegate to county and state conventions.
His health breaking down from close confinement, he crossed the plains in 1882 with a cattle party, walking most of the way to Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities both named Las Vegas, west Las Vegas and east Las Vegas , divided by the Gallinas River, retain distinct characters and separate, rival school districts. The population was 14,565 at the 2000...
. Arriving there he discovered conditions had arisen in Wichita which left him practically moneyless and compelled him to labor at anything possible. During the next few months he worked at track-laying, engine wiping and firing between Las Vegas and Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, finally going as a sheep driver to Fort Sumner
Fort Sumner
Fort Sumner was a military fort in De Baca County in southeastern New Mexico charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863-1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo.-History:...
. He was camped on the outskirts of that place when Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
was killed by the sheriff of Lincoln County
Lincoln County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.1% White*0.5% Black*2.4% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.5% Two or more races*9.1% Other races*29.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, and saw the desperado both before and after death. Joining a party of prospectors, the next few months were passed in the wildest regions of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Gold was found, but within the limits of an Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
reservation, and the party was driven out by United States soldiers. After suffering many hardships en route, Mr. Parrish reached Greeley, Colorado
Greeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
, and secured work on the Greeley-Loveland
Loveland, Colorado
Loveland is a Home Rule Municipality that is the second most populous city in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Loveland is situated north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. Loveland is the 14th most populous city in Colorado. The United States Census Bureau that in 2010 the...
canal, a little later making his way to Denver. Here he became connected as a reporter with the Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
and began a newspaper career, extending over a number of years, serving for various periods with metropolitan and country publications and in every branch of the work. He worked at other times on the Grafton
Grafton, Nebraska
Grafton is a village in Fillmore County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 126 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Grafton is located at ....
(Nebraska) Leader, Kewanee (Illinois) Courier and Independent, Sioux City
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
(Iowa) Times, Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
(Nebraska) World-Herald and the Chicago Times
Chicago Times
The Chicago Times was a newspaper in Chicago from 1854 to 1895 when it merged with the Chicago Herald.The Times was founded in 1854, by James W. Sheahan, with the backing of Stephen Douglas, and was identified as a pro-slavery newspaper. In 1861, after the paper was purchased by Wilbur F...
.
Journalism and ministry
In i886, while managing editor of the Grafton (Nebraska) Leader, Parrish was persuaded to enter the CongregationalCongregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
ministry, being licensed by the Elkhorn Association and given charge of churches at Leigh
Leigh, Nebraska
Leigh is a village in Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 442 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Leigh is located at ....
and Howells, Nebraska
Howells, Nebraska
Howells is a village in Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 632 at the 2000 census.-History:In 1887, officials of the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad designated the name "Howell" to the community. This name honored James Smith Howell, who was a local surveyor,...
. He was later ordained by the Blue Valley Association and held pastorates at Harvard, Nebraska
Harvard, Nebraska
Harvard is a city in Clay County, Nebraska, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 998. It is part of the Hastings, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Harvard is located at ....
, Mattoon, Illinois
Mattoon, Illinois
Mattoon is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,555 as of the 2010 census. It is a principal city of the Charleston–Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area.Mattoon was the site of the "Mad Gasser" attacks of the 1940s....
, Constantine, Michigan
Constantine, Michigan
Constantine is a village in St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,095 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Constantine Township. It is on U.S. Highway 131, leading to Kalamazoo to the north and to the Indiana Toll Road six miles to the south. The...
, and Marshalltown, Iowa
Marshalltown, Iowa
Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,552 in the 2010 census, an increase from the 26,009 population in the 2000 census. -History:...
. He was chairman of the Home Missionary Committee for Southern Illinois and one of the founders of Southern Collegiate Institute at Albion. In 1888 he stumped the entire state of Nebraska under the Republican state committee, accompanied by a double quartette of ladies, and later lectured extensively throughout many northern states.
In 1887 Parrish was married to Miss Mary A. Hammon, of Clarkson, Nebraska
Clarkson, Nebraska
Clarkson is a city in Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 685 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Clarkson is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, and four children were born unto this union, two of whom survived to adulthood, namely: Robert Arthur, a cadet at St. John's Military Academy, Delafield, Wisconsin
Delafield, Wisconsin
Delafield is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, along the Bark River, and a suburb of Milwaukee. The population was 6,472 at the 2000 census....
; and Philip Hammon, of Lynch, Nebraska
Lynch, Nebraska
Lynch is a village in Boyd County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 269 at the 2000 census. Lynch is located in northern Nebraska, between the Missouri and Niobrara Rivers.-Geography:Lynch is located at ....
. Parrish was divorced in 1899.
Literary career
During the winter of 1902 Mr. Parrish resumed newspaper work in Chicago, being first connected with the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, and later engaged in commercial journalism. August 6 of that year he was married to Rose I. Tyrell, of Kewanee, and the following spring published his first work of fiction, When Wilderness Was King, through A. C. McClurg & Company, Chicago, also publishers of his subsequent books. This manuscript was submitted and accepted when but half completed and for a first book met with remarkable sale. All of his previous experience, the atmosphere of culture and refinement of his boyhood home, his literary and legal education, the hardships and privations which he endured upon the plains of the west, his campaign experiences and his labors in the ministry, all constituted a preparation and equipment for the work which he is now doing in the literary world, and which has made him one of the most successful of the modern writers. Since the publication of his first book he devoted his entire time to literary work, having published the following books of fiction and history: My Lady of the North (1904); A Sword of the Old Frontier (1905); Bob Hampton of Placer (1906); Historic Illinois (1906); Beth Norvell (1907); The Great Plains (1907); Prisoners of Chance (1908); The Last Voyage of the Donna Isabel (1908); My Lady of the South (1909). Many of these have been credited among the "six best sellers," and received high praise both at home and abroad.
Since 1904 Mr. Parrish made his home at Kewanee, in the old family house at 235 South Chestnut Street, which was built in 1859. He served as one of the directors of the Commercial Club, was leading knight of the local Elks Lodge
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
, and was a frequent speaker at public meetings throughout Illinois.
Sources
- Henry L. Kiner, History of Henry County Illinois, Volume II. Chicago: Pioneer Publishing Co, 1910