Archival ResourcesPenney Family
Papers, 1891-1947
Biography:
Kate
Mayhew Speake Penney was born on a plantation in Lawrence County, Alabama, in
1864. Her
father, Judge Henry Clay Speake was an officer in the 4th Alabama
Cavalry during the Civil War and served as
judge of the 8th Judicial Circuit for twenty-seven years. Her mother,
Carolyn Olivia Mayhew Speake was a
musician, artist, and poet.
Penney spent
her childhood in Huntsville, Alabama, and was educated at the Huntsville Female
Seminary.
She married James Edwin Penney in 1893. The couple and their two children, Paul
Mayhew and Caryl Neal
Penney, moved to Birmingham in 1907 and resided at 20 Glen Iris Park.
In the course
of her literary career, Penney published several novels, short stories, and
poems. Her
books include a temperance reform novel entitled A Common Lot (1898,
republished in Canada in 1905 as A
Woman's Problem); Land Poor, and Six Shorter Stories
concerning Southern agricultural conditions (1928);
Us dealing with the Spanish American War and the yellow fever epidemic
(1934); Cross Currents, a novel
about the Civil War (1938); and My Daughter (1946).
Penney served as national vice-president of the League of American Pen Women
and was one of the organizers of the Birmingham Chapter of League of American
Pen Women for which she served as the first president. She was also an active
member of the Birmingham Writers Club, the Quest Club, and the Alabama Writers
Conclave. Penney died in Birmingham in August 1947.
Scope and Content:
The bulk
of this collection consists of letters, both incoming and outgoing, which
document the lives of
Penney family members. Among these letters, the largest percentage is either
from or to Kate Speake Penney.
The papers of this Birmingham family also include biographical information on
Kate Penney and newspaper
clippings and press releases concerning Penney's books A Common Lot and Land
Poor.
Guide to Collection:
File level
guide available in the Archives Department.
Subject Areas:
Authors --
Alabama -- Birmingham.
Penney, Kate
Mayhew Speake, 1864-1947.
Penney
family.
Women
authors.
Collection Number: 222
Size: ˝ linear foot (1 box)
Source/Provenance: Ron Bolt.
Restrictions: Standard preservation and copyright restrictions.
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