The second house built on the land of James Whitcomb Riley's birth place.
Source: By Nyttend (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Statue of James Whitcomb Riley in Greenfield
Source: By Sculptor: Myra Reynolds Richards (1882-1934); photo: en:User:Pollinator (English Wikipedia) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (
Humble Hoosier Roots
Back when Indiana had primitive forest surrounding new farmlands, James Whitcomb Riley was born. He came into the world as the second son and third child of Ruben and Elizabeth Riley. James Whitcomb Riley was born on October 7, 1849 in near the tiny village of Greenfield Indiana.
Ruben Riley was a well-educated man would served in the Civil War. He was also a lawyer and politician. Ruben Riley was in great demand locally for his political speeches. James Whitcomb Riley’s mother, was equally as talented. Elizabeth Riley was known as a local poet, and was sought after for her whimsical tales.Her best audience were the children of the village who loved her dramatic renderings of fairy tales and folklore..
Despite his parents education, James did not have a privileged upbringing. His childhood home was a log cabin not unlike the others on the Hoosier frontier. His family had great appreciation for the newfound state. The main Street of Greenfield Village was was plotted to be part of the national Road. James Whitcomb Riley was actually named after an Indiana Gov. James Whitcomb
Ruben Riley was a well-educated man would served in the Civil War. He was also a lawyer and politician. Ruben Riley was in great demand locally for his political speeches. James Whitcomb Riley’s mother, was equally as talented. Elizabeth Riley was known as a local poet, and was sought after for her whimsical tales.Her best audience were the children of the village who loved her dramatic renderings of fairy tales and folklore..
Despite his parents education, James did not have a privileged upbringing. His childhood home was a log cabin not unlike the others on the Hoosier frontier. His family had great appreciation for the newfound state. The main Street of Greenfield Village was was plotted to be part of the national Road. James Whitcomb Riley was actually named after an Indiana Gov. James Whitcomb
James Whitcomb Riley With nephew 1891.
Source: By James Whitcomb Riley [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The swimming hole referred to in poems by James Whitcomb Riley
Source: This work has been released into the public domain by its author, William Eccles.
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Riley Child-Rhymes with Hoosier Pictures (Library of Indiana Classics)
Amazon Price: $10.35
List Price: $17.95
List Price: $17.95
Carefree Indiana Boyhood
James Whitcomb Riley’s childhood was a simple one. He was known locally as a shy slender boy who loved practical jokes.James saw his parents influence increase as the community the little log cabin in which James Whitcomb Riley was born was eventually replaced by a two-story house.The house stood out having bright green shutters. He’s been his young days swimming, fishing , and playing Indians in the woods. Sometimes James and his friends would steal watermelons from neighbors gardens. James Whitcomb Riley had an idyllic boyhood, that would influence much of his writings. However, James was a poor student who often day dreamed in class and put forth little effort to memorize lessons.
His parents were desperately afraid that he. James Whitcomb Riley would not amount anything. He appeared to have little aptitude for history or mathematics. James Whitcomb Riley used to used to tell a joke about his lack of understanding of most things in school. He remembers a teacher asking once where Christopher Columbus sailed on the second his voyage? James after thinking about the question for a while replied,” I don’t know where he went on his first journey”.
Frustrated with his lack of ability to be successful in school James Whitcomb Riley left school at 16. He sought some and adventure with his newfound adulthood, so he and a group of friends formed a painting company. The boys traveled the state painting houses and signs. The group of teenage boys, called their new painting enterprise "the graphic company" .
His parents were desperately afraid that he. James Whitcomb Riley would not amount anything. He appeared to have little aptitude for history or mathematics. James Whitcomb Riley used to used to tell a joke about his lack of understanding of most things in school. He remembers a teacher asking once where Christopher Columbus sailed on the second his voyage? James after thinking about the question for a while replied,” I don’t know where he went on his first journey”.
Frustrated with his lack of ability to be successful in school James Whitcomb Riley left school at 16. He sought some and adventure with his newfound adulthood, so he and a group of friends formed a painting company. The boys traveled the state painting houses and signs. The group of teenage boys, called their new painting enterprise "the graphic company" .
Advertisment for James Whitcomb Riley and friends house painting company.
Source: By James Whitcomb Riley [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Young James Whitcomb Riley Finds His Place In the World
Riley soon grew bored painting houses and tried his hand at poetry. He joined the traveling medicine show reciting his poetry for a meager wage. When James Whitcomb Riley returned home his father helped him get a job as editor of a local paper.
Riley was convinced that people only read poetry if was the work of an already published poet.. So to prove his point he wrote a poem in the style of Edgar Allen Poe. The crafty Riley credited it to Poe. When imposter poetry was published in the paper it turned out to be widely read so It was a very widely read poem so James took credit for it. When the paper had published the supposed Poe poem they were excited that James had managed to get it from Poe for publication. When when Riley publically took credit for the poem and the prank, the whole affair ended up costing him his job as newspaper editor.
Riley was an unsettled young man. He had tried to even study law once to follow in his fathers footstep ,but he was distracted by a romance with a local girl named Nellie Millikan. But eventually Riley found his calling at least temporarily and tried his hand at big city journalist,. He took a job with the Indianapolis Journal, which he kept from 1878 til his published his first book of poetry in 1883.
Riley was convinced that people only read poetry if was the work of an already published poet.. So to prove his point he wrote a poem in the style of Edgar Allen Poe. The crafty Riley credited it to Poe. When imposter poetry was published in the paper it turned out to be widely read so It was a very widely read poem so James took credit for it. When the paper had published the supposed Poe poem they were excited that James had managed to get it from Poe for publication. When when Riley publically took credit for the poem and the prank, the whole affair ended up costing him his job as newspaper editor.
Riley was an unsettled young man. He had tried to even study law once to follow in his fathers footstep ,but he was distracted by a romance with a local girl named Nellie Millikan. But eventually Riley found his calling at least temporarily and tried his hand at big city journalist,. He took a job with the Indianapolis Journal, which he kept from 1878 til his published his first book of poetry in 1883.
Riley earned royalties from books of poetry that were read by most American children.
Hear Little Orphant Annie
Speaking In the Voice of the Hoosier Frontier
Riley’s best poems were about growing up on the Hoosier frontier. His characters like the “Raggedy man ’ and ‘orphant Annie’ became beloved by Hoosier children . When Riley performed his poems publically he did so with great drama ultitilzing the accents that were common in his boyhood home.
\The frontier in Indiana drew immigrants from all parts of the country and world so there were great diversity and unique Hoosier accents in the community James Whitcomb Riley was from. His own parents spoke a version of Hoosier Deutsch which Riley would imitate when he recited , “Dot Little boy of Mine.”
James Whitcomb Riley was known as a poet who was a ‘dialect singer”. Later analysis showed his accents were more like the speech of a small child instead of any particular dialect.
James Whitcomb Riley career as a poet took off after his first book was published. He took his dialect filled poetry readings on the road with the likes of Mark Twain and Bill Nye. He was treated like a Victorian rockstar, in every town he performed in . The crowd could not get enough of James Whitcomb Rileys poems about growing up in the Hoosier heartland..
Riley was not only having success with his poetry readings. His poems were also published in well illustrated books that gave James Whitcomb Riley an international audience. The royalties he received from these books made Mr. Riley the best paid living poet of his time. He was known as the “Hoosier Poet” and America’s children’s poet.
\The frontier in Indiana drew immigrants from all parts of the country and world so there were great diversity and unique Hoosier accents in the community James Whitcomb Riley was from. His own parents spoke a version of Hoosier Deutsch which Riley would imitate when he recited , “Dot Little boy of Mine.”
James Whitcomb Riley was known as a poet who was a ‘dialect singer”. Later analysis showed his accents were more like the speech of a small child instead of any particular dialect.
James Whitcomb Riley career as a poet took off after his first book was published. He took his dialect filled poetry readings on the road with the likes of Mark Twain and Bill Nye. He was treated like a Victorian rockstar, in every town he performed in . The crowd could not get enough of James Whitcomb Rileys poems about growing up in the Hoosier heartland..
Riley was not only having success with his poetry readings. His poems were also published in well illustrated books that gave James Whitcomb Riley an international audience. The royalties he received from these books made Mr. Riley the best paid living poet of his time. He was known as the “Hoosier Poet” and America’s children’s poet.
James Whitcomb Riley with the children of Lockerbie.
Source: Public Domain
James Whitcomb Riley's home in Lockerbie Square.
Source: By Nyttend (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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The Old Gentlemen of Lockerbie Square
James Whitcomb Riley unfortunately had a stroke in his early fifties after returning from a friend’s funeral in Greenfield. This stroke would leave him confined to a home in Lockerbie Square in Indiana for the last 23 years of his life.His friends the Nickum and Holstein families invited him to be a permanent house guest at a gracious home at 528 Lockerbie street. There the now aging Riley , could be seen walking with his cane entertaining the neighborhood children with stories. He died from a fatal stroke on July 22, 1916.
President Woodrow Wilson sent a note of sympathy to the surviving friends and relatives of Riley. He stated. “With his departure a notable figure passes out of the nation’s life; a man who imparted joyful pleasure and a thoughtful view of many things that other men would have missed.”
President Woodrow Wilson sent a note of sympathy to the surviving friends and relatives of Riley. He stated. “With his departure a notable figure passes out of the nation’s life; a man who imparted joyful pleasure and a thoughtful view of many things that other men would have missed.”
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