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What a tangled web we weave...



Not a reference to the Internet.


I'm still trying to sort out various complications in a recently
acquired collection.  I briefly alluded to this mess (oops! I mean
collection) a couple months ago.  Local naturalist and author died young
(spring 1919) leaving four surviving children.  The two eldest--twin
girls--never got along.  The two younger mostly tried to stay out of
their way.  Their mother's journals, absolutely incredibly literary
work, was a source of contention all their lives.  The two younger
signed away their interest in these journals years ago and left them to
the twins to squabble over.

Researchers in Appalachian literature have sought these out and there
have been several projects to document the author's tragic life.  This
had always been complicated by the twins--physical ownership would go
back and forth between the two depending on the most recent development
in the quarrel.  Anyone doing research would have to please both in
order to get access to first one journal, then another.  There were five
journals altogether, although the third one disappeared back in the
1930's or 40's; at one point a "neighbor/friend" deposited a transcript
(the style clearly indicates that it was edited, too) to the local
public library.

Doctoral candidates studied this author, and I have identified one
dissertation.  Two major publishing projects were proposed, and one was
finally brought to completion.

My biggest problem is the project that was never completed.  The project
was to be published by a university press.  I have -numerous- drafts of
contracts mostly unsigned by one twin or another, trying to work out
access and "approval" for the research; which researcher could
transcribe what and how much of what.  The primary university press
researcher died before completion (relatively young; I can't help but
think this project stressed him into a heart attack, but I couldn't say
for sure...). Copies of his work are part of this collection.

The completed project/biography is well documented.  The researcher for
that project donated research notes, correspondence, etc. to UTChatt.
eight years ago.  That donation, along with the more recently acquired
donation, documents the author/naturalist quite well.

Currently I have the university press researcher's copies, and the
contracts--executed and unexecuted--in restricted files.  I've contacted
the university press's office and since it's been so many years no one
there remembers anything about it.  But they are on the lookout for
anything to help me sort out the status of that project.

On top of that, the widow of the university press researcher is fairly
prominent historiographically in this region.

I'm still not sure what my question is; I'd hoped writing this out would
help me see it.  (Maybe I've already answered my own question?)


BTW, isn't there an organisation out there somewhere where I can
register the missing journal, in case it should turn up in an estate
sale somewhere?



Holly
in Chatta.

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