Overview

Details about the twenty five manuscripts in The Brautigan Library's "Family" (FAM) category.

Background

These manuscripts are included in the "Family" (FAM) category using The Mayonnaise System, a classification system developed for The Brautigan Library. Manuscripts are cataloged according to fourteen general categories, the year of submission, and the order of acquisition into the category. For example, LOV 1992.005 indicates the manuscript was the fifth one cataloged in 1992 to the LOV(e) category. Manuscript synopsis provided by authors at time of submission. Comments from The Librarian provide additional information.

Stats

Manuscripts in FAM category = 25
1996 = 1 manuscript
1994 = 3 manuscripts
1993 = 3 manuscripts
1992 = 4 manuscripts
1991 = 5 manuscripts
1990 = 10 manuscripts
Missing = 1 manuscript (MS #077 FAM 1990.008 A, B)

Three Children's Stories

Fred Hill
MS #314
FAM 1996.001
Registered 1996/01/18 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
In Three Children's Stories, "Tommy Gets A Tyranosaur" is a moral tale. The hostility between Tommy and his parents is mediated by a mischievous pet tyranosaur. "Umbrella Picnic" is about a family enjoying a picnic in the rain. So do all the creatures. Charles keeps it all in order. "Where I Live Now" is about a little girl who rationalizes her traumatic experience with fire. No pictures included!

Librarian's Comment
Fred Hill has contributed two manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are A View on the Street (HUM 1996.001) and Three Children's Stories (FAM 1996.001).

Koralina's Journey

Helen Barden
MS #306
FAM 1994.003 A, B
Registered 1994/02/08 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Koralina's Journey is the fictionalized biography of a Swedish immigrant's journey through life from her "crossing" at age 16 in 1869, the raising of her large family; first in Galesburg, Illinois, then to Buffalo, New York. Eventually they settled in the village of Cattaraugus, nestled among the rolling hills of western New York State where she finally realized her dream to purchase land, and her own home. Her factual story is one about those invisible threads of shared visions, struggles, hardships, failures, successes, joys, and a set of values connecting us all one to another stretching over a gentler time in our history.

The House at the Bottom of the Hill and Halfway Up

Margaret Krider
MS #302
FAM 1994.002
Registered 1994/02/04 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
The House at the Bottom of the Hill and Halfway Up is an autobiography of remembered incidents of an artist/teacher who, as a child during the twenties and thirties writes brief stories of those times. They reflect the importance of an event as her first week of school that predicts a path the child would eventually follow. Even poignant events show a sensitive child, capable of strong independence, sad feelings, adventurous directions, and a need for and about parental concern.

A Simpler Time and Place

Martha Sexton
MS #294
FAM 1994.001
Registered 1994/01/27 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
A Simpler Time and Place is the story of my life and a loving marriage which endured for fifty five years, through the good times and the bad.

The Bastards of Forrester's Cross

R.(on) Mahan
MS #285
FAM 1993.003 A, B
Registered 1993/02/14 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Piper Collins father has finally died, but the death has not brought the expected peace of mind for the son. Piper would willingly erase the memories, but others have quite different ideas in mind. An unlikely group of people separately prod Piper's morbid curiosity about his father's past and why the man seemed to have hated everybody in general and his son, Piper, in particular. Despite intense suggestions to do otherwise, Piper traces the history of his father and his family to reveal a degenerate story, The Bastards of Forrester's Cross.

Rye's American Star

Cheryl Willet
MS #284.5
FAM 1993.003 A, B
Registered 1993/02/13 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Rye's American Star is a realistic portrayal of three generations of Irish-American women committed to family in the late 1800s. Constance O'Neill is seemingly forever burdened with many family questions and memories. The mysterious disappearance of her brother, the discovery of her father's deception and the shattering disappointment of her husband's flawed concept of marriage all present the possibility of her destruction. The novel's true sense of time, real conflict and strong characters raise many questions. A violent fire links the reader to live the journey toward her father's dream.

Book of Memories

Leo R. Abair
MS #275
FAM 1993.001
Registered 1993/02/03 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Book of Memories is an attempt to capture the true spirit of a rare human being, Father Edward L. Hebert, a Roman Catholic priest serving parishes throughout the state of Vermont from 1938-1967. The book was compiled, edited, and printed by Leo R. Abair, his brother, for distribution on the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death on October 24, 1992. It consists of the personal recollections of the author as well as other family members, friends and associates whose lives he touched including those of Bishop Louis E. Gelineau of Providence, Rhode Island whose life and career was deeply influenced by "Father Eddie."

Sister Taylor, Sister Starlight

Jennifer Gibbons
MS #263
FAM 1992.004
Registered 1992/09/16 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Taylor Calloway is a rich debutante who lives in Clarent, California. Starlight Hawkins is a bohemian who lives in Ashland, Oregon. These two women are sisters, but are strangers to each other until a family tragedy comes up that only they can solve. Sister Taylor, Sister Starlight shows how in the eighties, people who thought they had everything did not really have anything at all.

Librarian's Comment
Jennifer Gibbons has contributed two manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are Hello There, James Dean (POE 1992.005) and Sister Taylor, Sister Starlight (FAM 1992.004).

Random Thoughts

Gladys Hunt
MS #259
FAM 1992.003
Registered 1992/03/23 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Random Thoughts is a collection well-named, I think, of random thoughts, my musings. My rememberances cover a wide range, from friendships and families to places and things. Always, I have written about things that have been meaningful to me. I am an almost compulsive writer and so, in several volumes there is a record of the lives of my family from 1852 to now. The medium of the essay best describes my writing: I have never dealt with plot. It is strictly narrative, made enjoyable, I hope, by humor and common sense.

The View from White Mountain

Norallah Downing
MS #248
FAM 1992.002
Registered 1992/02/18 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
I have always been a writer. As a child my "novels" were take-offs on my mother's Redbook magazine that I do not recall impressed anyone but Uncle Harold, the town dog catcher. Now I am an adult woman, mother, wife, teacher, person, who still enjoys writing. I use the written word to share my vision. These pieces titled The View from White Mountain were put together over the past ten years. Unlike my childhood stories where the cardboard ladies all wore frilly aprons and had at least three sets of twins, these tales have a heart.

Librarian's Comment
Norallah Downing contributed two manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are Her Healthy Period of Rebellion (POE 1994.004) and The View from White Mountain (FAM 1992.002)

Strive for Mediocrity

Leo Witz
MS #241
FAM 1992.001
Registered 1992/01/09 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Strive for Mediocrity is a potpouri of unusual people, and a collection of anecdotes and happenings from the life and times of Leo Witz, who was better than average at just about everything he tried but not all that good at anything. Hence my striving for the elusive mediocrity.

Letter To My Grandchildren

Roy Muehlberger
MS #220
FAM 1991.005
Registered 1991/10/08 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Letter To My Grandchildren provides encouragement to living and unborn grandchildren to live their dreams, to belly-up to the banquet, the ticket being provided by work and the American experience. The example used being my attempt to live the American Dream.

Little Italian Novel

Pat Angelo
MS #219
FAM 1991.004
Registered 1991/10/08 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Little Italian Novel is the autobiography of a failed prodigy. The narrator is a boy-genius who would serve his family by his gifts as a classical guitarist but rather distinguishes himself by his precocity of perceiving, revealing the truth about them as he is discovering the truth about not only his family but life and himself.

The Snowden Scene 1884-1979

Louise Williams
MS #216
FAM 1991.003
Registered 1991/09/19 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
A tiny community just below the gorge of the James River in the Blue Mountains of Virginia, Snowden (misspelled) was christened Snowdon by the Welsh natives in memory of "Home." They came from New York and Vermont to expand the slate quarry in this area, bringing many workers with them. Later, most of them went back "north" or moved on to Arvonia in Buckingham County, Virginia where other slate quarries were in operation, but a few settled here. The Snowden Scene 1884-1979 traces the lives of the Williams family of that area, spanning a century of American history and lore.

Paralee

Amanda Graham
MS #190
FAM 1991.002
Registered 1991/07/18 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Paralee is my autobiography. An era of American history from 1910 through 1991 in which I lived. It is my personal story starting from a homestead in Colorado, as a young girl in a very young San Francisco in the Roaring 1920s. I tell about my experiences in raising five children during the depression years and how my life has grown in eighty-one years.

Happy Jack and The Wooden Duck

Dick Tilotson
MS #158
FAM 1991.001
Registered 1991/01/20 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Happy Jack and The Wooden Duck is about a man with a magical talent. His talent brings happiness and fantasy to young children. This fantasy is every child's dream of their toys coming alive and being real.

Firebreak

Janet Clark
MS #139
FAM 1990.010
Registered 1990/12/03 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Growing up between two World Wars, Firebreak is the way my world appeared to me during those years, plus a brief family history.

Ninety Years

Ivis Scales
MS #118
FAM 1990.009
Registered 1990/10/05 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Ninety Years chronicles the life and times of a Vermont woman of ninety years.

Family Tree

Nancy Lamoureux
MS #077
FAM 1990.008 A, B
Registered 1990/07/31 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Family Tree is a saga about vulnerable Sarah Morgan and later, her daughter, loyal Judith Stanhope. With tragic consequences, both love compassionate Dr. Warren Hollis. Interwoven with accurate medical genetics and nursing history (1932-1955). NOTE: This manuscript is missing from the collection.

Librarian's Comment
Unfortunately, this manuscript was missing from The Brautigan Library collection when it was transferred from Burlington, Vermont, to Vancouver, Washington.

The Tough Get Going

Mark Masse
MS #075
FAM 1990.007
Registered 1990/07/25 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
The Tough Get Going is a novel set in metropolitan New York during the late 1960's (the season of Woodstock, Vietnam and the amazin' Mets). The book tells the story of sixteen-year-old Nick More, who is growing up in a tough, ethnically-polarized town. To achieve his aspirations, Nick must prove himself in an adolescent world of conflict and change. The Tough Get Going is a realistic coming-of-age novel that deals with broken dreams, family problems and a sudden, difficult relocation as Nick moves in his senior year from his native New York to southern Ohio.

V . . . Letters from London

John Sullivan
MS #074
FAM 1990.006
Registered 1990/07/24 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
V . . . Letters from London is a compilation of letters I wrote, and received, in England (mostly London) while I was stationed there with the U.S. 8th Army Air Force during the World War II period of April 1943 to November 1945. The letters, edited and commented on by me, my family and I saved, reflecting the British and American home fronts, and the experiences of myself, my Infantry and Air Force buddies scattered throughout the globe.

Librarian's Comment
John Sullivan has contributed two manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are V . . . Letters from London (FAM 1990.006) and Dead Lines (LOV 1990.009).

ILinx

Alexander Stella
MS #067
FAM 1990.005
Registered 1990/07/16 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
In ILink, a young man and two young women form a triad and a triangle. Within their relationship, they discover sensuality and the joy of life and the poignancy of early death.

Librarian's Comment
Alexander Stella has contributed eight manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are iLinx (FAM 1990.005), War Dodger (SOC 1990.016), Nodes (SOC 1990.017), Splish (ALL 1990.022), Cinema Inspiration (SOC 1990.025), Crystal Star (MEA 1991.002), A Younger Earth (MEA 1991.003), and C Is for Caucasian (SOC 1991.007).

My Mom

Carol Holoboff
MS #050
FAM 1990.004
Registered 1990/06/22 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
My Mom was written by an R.N. who was hoping to prepare her 4-year-old son for the death of his older brother. The story is told by a small boy, and the purpose of the story is to introduce a small child to the rituals of death and funerals.

Three Family Stories

Elanor Holmes
MS #041
FAM 1990.003
Registered 1990/06/14 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Three Family Stories deal with American family life in the early twentieth century.

Just Routine

Stephen Musselman #025 FAM 1990.002
Registered 1990/05/29 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
George Paxton, beloved father of three, former Big Leaguer, and now a somewhat frustrated New York City stockbroker disappears in a blizzard enroute home from his daily commute. What follows is a rare glimpse into the bittersweet symphony of youth as played through the soul-piercing eyes of one fascinating young girl: Paxton's daughter, Gretchen, who dutifully records the search for him in combination with reminiscences over their times shared, the lessons he has taught her, and events as they unfold day to day. Everything is far more than Just Routine.

Responses

Peg (Margaret) Thornton
MS #004
FAM 1990.001
Registered 1990/04/15 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Responses is the story of two sisters-in-law who have opposite attitudes toward life. The setting is in Vermont. All members of their families are affected by the attitudes of these two women, especially themselves.

Librarian's Comment
Peg (Margaret) Thornton has contributed three manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are Responses (FAM 1990.001), Ah, Camping in Vermont (ALL 1990.008), and Pastoral Poet of Vermont: Walter Hard (1862-1966) (HUM 1991.004).