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Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Papers, 1800-1994
(bulk, 1922-1993) See other finding aids available from SCL Manuscripts Division | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Author of nine historical romance novels. Born in Darlington, South Carolina, to Bessie Heard and Purvis Jenkins Boatwright. Graduated from St. John's High School and Converse College. Married Hartsville, South Carolina, industrialist, James Lide Coker, III.
Extent: ca. 28.5 linear ft. + 1 oversize box + multiple volumes
While at Converse College, Elizabeth was a regular contributor to The Concept, the student literary magazine. In her senior year, she served as the journal’s editor. Elizabeth showed literary promise; and her poems appeared in publications such as Harper’s, Munsey’s, The Saturday Evening Post, and College Humor. In 1928 her poem “Red Moon” won the Caroll Prize given by the Charleston Poetry Society for promising college verse. With prize money in hand, Elizabeth left for New York City after graduation. She hoped to find work as a writer for the New York Times; she survived by modeling hats and shoes. While in New York, Elizabeth met James Lide Coker III, of Hartsville, South Carolina, a recent Harvard Business School graduate and a former fraternity brother of her brother P.J. at the University of North Carolina. She and Jim soon became engaged and returned to South Carolina.
They married in 1930, and Elizabeth settled into her role as a corporate wife as Jim assumed the controlling reigns of his family’s company, Sonoco Products, in Hartsville. Their first child, Penelope, was born in 1932. Elizabeth continued to write poetry and short stories during the 1930s. The family vacationed in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, during the summer of 1937, where Elizabeth also attended the Blowing Rock Writers’ Conference. Elizabeth met many southern writers with whom she shared her writing. Her confidence grew, and she decided to pursue her writing interests. During the summer of 1938, she attended the prestigious Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference sponsored by Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. Supposedly, Robert Frost critiqued some of her work and encouraged her to continue writing.
The Coker’s second child, a son – James Lide Coker IV – was born in 1941. During the 1940s, Elizabeth continued to hone her writing skills as she raised her children. She also assumed a very active role with the Hartsville community; she was active in many social and civic organizations and associations. In addition, as the wife of an executive, she traveled frequently with Jim on company business. She maintained extensive journals of the trips: in time, many of these travels figured into her novels.
In 1947 Elizabeth finished a short story about a young slave girl (the progeny of a male plantation owner and a female slave) who was wagered and won on a horse race. She showed the tale, “The Red Filly,” to Glen Mullin, the head of Columbia University’s Creative Writing program. He encouraged her to develop the story into a novel and mentored her throughout the creative process. In 1950 E.P. Dutton and Company published Elizabeth’s first novel, Daughter of Strangers, the outgrowth of “The Red Filly.” It was listed on the New York Times Best Seller List for several months. It was also a book club selection, and Heinneman Publishers published it in England. It was later published in paperback by Dell Publishing. Thus, Elizabeth Boatwright Coker’s writing career commenced. Between 1952 and 1981, Elizabeth wrote and published eight more historical novels:
In 1955 Jim was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent radical surgery and battled his illness for six years. He continued to work, and he and Elizabeth traveled all over the world. These trips were part vacation, part therapy, and part research. In 1961, after a valiant struggle, Jim succumbed to his illness. Elizabeth sought solace in research, writing, and traveling. The publication of her sixth novel, Lady Rich, in 1963 was bittersweet: she and Jim had traveled throughout Europe towards the end of his life as she researched the book.
In addition to her novels, Elizabeth wrote many poems, short stories, and essays. Of significance was her short story, “The Wishing Bone,” which won two awards in the 1963 International P.E.N. competition: a third place international prize and a first place American award. In 1973 Elizabeth composed “This Is Billy Boy,” the tale of a young, mentally disabled boy’s relationship with his family, as a gift to the South Carolina Association for Retarded Children. In 1978, Elizabeth collaborated with her niece, Ann Boatwright Igoe, to publish The Charleston Coloring Book, which remains popular to this day.
Elizabeth also delivered many addresses to a variety of audiences; she enjoyed speaking to those interested in hearing about the writing process. She often spoke to young elementary and high school students and was a popular commencement speaker for both high schools and colleges in South Carolina. From 1971 to 1972 she served as an associate visiting professor at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. She often guest taught at Converse College and Coker College. Elizabeth received honorary degrees from Coker and Converse Colleges -- institutions in which she had personal interest and to which she dedicated a great deal of time and energy. She was a lifetime trustee at Converse College and returned to her alma mater several times a year for various functions. She donated a large portion of her personal library to Converse in the early 1980s. Elizabeth adopted Coker College as a sort of second alma mater. Coker College, which was founded by her husband’s ancestors, meant a great deal to her, and she never hesitated to aid the institution in any way she could. In fact, Coker College posthumously named its performing arts center after her in 1997: the Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Performing Arts Center, as it is named, is a community center for many educational and cultural events.
Elizabeth sited several influences and mentors with whom she developed lasting friendships. Among them were Hershchell Brickell, Hodding Carter, Jonathan Daniels, Clifford Dowdey, Frank Durham, Inglis Fletcher, John Jakes, Floyd McGowan, James Michener, Charles Morgan, Ogden Nash, Julia Peterkin, Walter Spearman, and Hudson Strode.
Elizabeth also found time to involve herself in a variety of organizations, including the following:
Series I, Correspondence
Series I, correspondence, is organized by incoming and outgoing letters. The correspondence is generally of a personal nature between EBC and her family or friends. She kept letters from close female friends and male suitors sent to her in her high school and college days as well as letters from her fellow writers later in her life. The series is further broken down chronologically (for general correspondence) and by individual (for those individuals with whom EBC corresponded regularly or if she exchanged correspondence with a prominent individual). Generally, the incoming correspondence files are much more complete than EBC’s outgoing letters. She only occasionally kept copies of the letters she composed. More often than not, she also composed one letter and forwarded it to several friends.
Notable writers with whom EBC corresponded regularly include:
Series II, Personal Papers
Series II, personal papers, is divided into four sub-series: (1) EBC; (2) Immediate Family; (3) Family History, Cokers and Boatwright; (4) Friends and Associates.
EBC’s personal papers are organized alphabetically by subject name. They include her appointment books, awards and honors she received, Converse College materials, clippings, diaries, financial materials, scrapbooks, and files she maintained on her travels.
The information pertaining to EBC’s immediate family includes files on her husband and her two children. The papers are arranged by individual and then alphabetically by subject. Materials on Jim Coker include biographical materials, clippings, limited business correspondence, memorial tributes to him, and materials pertaining to Sonoco Products Co. Jim served as its president from 1931 until his death. Materials pertaining to EBC’s son James include a great deal of childhood memorabilia, educational materials, and some information pertaining to his role as president of Sonoco’s Canadian Branch, Sonoco Limited. Lastly, materials relating to EBC’s daughter, Penelope, include childhood memorabilia and information relating to her various dramatic and modeling pursuits. Penelope pursued a career as a model and as a personality on several television shows in the New York area.
Materials relating to EBC’s family history are separated by Boatwrights and Cokers. The subseries provides insight into the histories of both families. Both families claim Revolutionary and Civil War lineage. Additionally, the Boatwright family materials reveal that family’s role in Darlington history. The Coker family materials likewise reveal that family’s role as one of the founding families of Hartsville. There are also some materials pertaining to the founding of Coker College and the role that the Cokers and Elizabeth Boatwright Coker played in its evolution.
Materials relating to EBC’s friends and associates are organized alphabetically by individual. She maintained very close friendships with writers Jonathan Daniels, Clifford Dowdey, John Jakes, Charles Morgan, Walter Spearman, and Elizabeth O’Neill Verner. Mary Prichard Taylor (who taught at several colleges and universities in North and South Carolina) was a mentor and long-time friend to EBC. Isabel Tozzer and EBC met through William Boatwright and maintained a lifelong friendship.
Series III, Writings
Series III, writings, is divided into eleven sub-series: (1) books, published; (2) manuscripts/book ideas, unpublished; (3) manuscripts (drafts, galleys for published and unpublished books); (4) copies of EBC’s books at the South Caroliniana Library; (5- 9) editorial letters, book reviews, essays, poetry, and short stories written by EBC; (10) publicity re EBC and the publication of her books; and (11) materials pertaining to EBC’s publishers and literary agents.
Materials pertaining to EBC’s published books include book jacket designs, correspondence with publishers, publicity material for each book, research materials specific to each books, reviews, and royalty statements. In addition to her nine published novels, EBC also published two other works of interest. In the early 1970s EBC agreed to write a short story for the South Carolina Association for Retarded Children as a means of opening up a dialog about the issues that families of mentally disabled children must face. The result was “This Is Billy Boy,” published in 1973. In 1978 she collaborated with her niece, Ann Boatwright Igoe, to produce a children’s coloring/history book, The Charleston Coloring Book.
Materials pertaining to EBC’ unpublished manuscripts and book ideas include proposed biographies of Elliot White Springs and Sara Delano Roosevelt. EBC never moved beyond the planning stages of Springs’ biography when she learned that she would not be granted full access to his papers. EBC did, however, collaborate closely with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. to prepare his grandmother’s biography, Sara’s Story: A Biography of Sara Delano Roosevelt. The collection includes a completed manuscript; unfortunately, EBC and FDR, Jr. could not find a publisher for their work. This subseries also includes an outline for another novel idea tentatively titled The Heir of Curassow that was not picked up by EBC’s publisher.
Housed separately are manuscripts (drafts, galleys for published and unpublished books). Included are draft manuscripts for EBC’s published novels The Bees, The Big Drum, Blood Red Roses, Daughter of Strangers, The Grasshopper King, India Allan, and Lady Rich. Also included is a final draft manuscript for Sara’s Story. In addition there are manuscripts for several unpublished novels: Miss Elizabeth and the Yellow Corvette; Tyger, Tyger; and The Way of An Eagle.
Also included in this series are general publicity materials and materials pertaining to EBC’s relationship with the publishers of her books. The publicity materials include feature articles on EBC and entries for EBC in the Biographical Companion to a Map of South Carolina Writers, 1973, and in the reference guide First Printings of American Authors. Also included is an audiocassette tape of a 1981 radio interview regarding her career as a writer. Additionally, this subseries includes the transcript of EBC’s 1945 radio interview on Edward R. Murrow’s show, “This I Believe.” Materials pertaining to relationships with publishers are organized alphabetically by company name and include correspondence and contracts generally not pertaining to a particular book.
Series IV, Lectures and Speeches
EBC was a prolific speaker. It seemed that she never passed up an opportunity to share her experiences with an interested audience. This series includes written drafts and notes on speeches she made during her career. It is organized alphabetically by speech title or subject.
The series also includes EBC’s lecture materials from Appalachian State University, Coker College, and Columbia College.
Series V, Professional Organizations, Conferences
Over the course of her life, EBC attended many professional conferences and belonged to numerous professional and civic organizations. The conferences subseries is organized alphabetically and includes materials on the Blowing Rock Writers’ Conference, the Breadloaf Writers’ Conference, and the Carolina Connections Conference. Similarly, professional and community organizations are also organized alphabetically. Professional organizations included the Authors’ Guild, Authors’ League of America, International Mark Twain Society, PEN, Poetry Societies of Georgia and South Carolina, South Carolina Academy of Authors, and the Tar Heel Writers Roundtable. Civic and community organizations included the Darlington County Selective Service Advisory Board, Garden Club of America, Hartsville School District Board of Trustees, National Trust for Historic Preservation, South Carolina State Museum Foundation, South Carolina Tricentennial Commission, the University South Caroliniana Society, and the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania.
Series VI, Research Files
EBC maintained extensive research files in addition to the files she kept for each book she wrote. The research materials are organized alphabetically by subject and include handwritten notes, clippings, and articles.
Series VII, Artwork, Maps, Photographs, Miscellaneous, Scrapbooks
Most of the materials in this series are oversized and are housed in separate boxes or with oversize flat files. The artwork generally relates to cover illustrations for EBC’s books. Additionally there is a large pastel painting of James Lide Coker, III, as a young boy drawn by Haskell Coffin as well as a portrait of EBC drawn by A. Brook.
Most of the maps are materials that EBC collected during the preparation of her books. There are several reprints of old Hilton Head maps that she used while writing Blood Red Roses.
EBC created several scrapbooks that chronicle her life between 1937 and 1977. The scrapbooks are still intact and include photographs, clippings, articles, and correspondence.
The collection contains one carton of photographs. Images of EBC with family, friends, and peers dominate the photographs. The collection also contains a number of studio photographs taken for her book covers as well as publicity stills.
Additional Note
Several children’s books were removed from EBC’s personal papers and transferred to Special Collections at Thomas Cooper Library.
Cock Robin’s Death and (title page torn), undated (gift to Purvis Jenkins Boatwright from Uncle Louis)
Mother Goose ABC and Other Jingles,” ca 1870s? (Possibly James Boatwright’s book)
“Old New Orleans Characters,” Leda Plauche, 1931
The Story of Little Black Quibba,” Helen Bnnerman, 1903 (Penelope Coker’s book)
Talkative Toby, undated (Purvis Jenkins Boatwright’s book)
Ten Little Nigger Boys,” ca 1870s (Purvis Jenkins Boatwright’s book. Possibly a Christmas gift.)
Ten Little Nigger Boys and Ten Little Nigger Girls,” Nora Case, 1962
Uncle John’s Drolleries’ Simple Addition by a Little Nigger,” ca 1880
A Visit from Santa Claus, copyright 1898 (a gift to EBC from Rietta Boatwright)
Personal papers, ca 1833-1993, undated (bulk 1925-1993) (Box 4-7, 13-15; Oversize flat files; Manuscripts in separate boxes)
Writings, ca 1928-1992, undated (bulk 1950-1981) (Boxes 8-10, 13-15, 19. Bound volumes; Oversized volumes; Manuscripts in separate boxes)
Lectures and Speeches, 1953-1992, undated (Box 10, 13)
Professional organizations, conferences, 1937-1994 (Box 11)
Research files, undated (Boxes 11-12)
Artwork, maps, photographs, miscellaneous, scrapbooks, 1930s-1988, undated (Boxes 15-18; Oversize flat files; Art files)
Adobe Acrobat PDF format
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