Date Original
1905-1909
Description
This collection contains copies of two issues of the Clover Bend Poke-Root, a community newsletter printed and edited by Alice French.
Biographical/Historical Note
Alice French published the Clover Bend Poke-Root newsletter "at the convenience of the Editor" with tidbits of news and gossip of the Clover Bend (Lawrence County), Arkansas community. Her last newsletter was published May 10, 1909. Alice French was born March 19, 1850, in Andover, Massachusetts, to George Henry French and Frances Morton. When Alice was still young, the French family moved to Davenport, Iowa, for her father's health. Alice studied at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Abbott Academy in Andover, graduating in 1868 and returning to Davenport. In 1871, she published her first work "Hugo's Waiting" in the Davenport Gazette. She soon began publishing under the pen name Octave Thanet. She continued to publish short stories and essays in national periodicals. In 1883, French and Jane Allen Crawford, a widowed friend, moved to Clover Bend, Arkansas, where they wintered at the plantation home "Thanford," which was derived from her pen name and Mrs. Crawford's name. In 1909, French and Mrs. Crawford sold Thanford, which she describes in her last issue of Clover Bend Poke-Root. French traveled throughout the country speaking on topics in which she was interested, including opposing women's suffrage. She suffered from debilitating effects of diabetes, including the loss of a leg and most of her eyesight.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Clover Bend, Lawrence County (Ark.)
Language
English
Identifier
SMC.008.004a
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Clover Bend Poke-Root newsletter [photocopy], SMC.008.004a
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Clover Bend Poke-Root newsletter [photocopy], Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
