John Roy Musick (February 28, 1849 – April 14, 1901) was an American historical author and poet best known for his ''Columbian Historical Novels.''

Early life

Born in

St. Louis County, Missouri St. Louis County is located in the eastern-central portion of Missouri. It is bounded by the City of St. Louis and the Mississippi River to the east, the Missouri River to the north, and the Meramec River to the south. At the 2020 census, th ...

on February 28, 1849, the son of Ephraim and Mary Musick. While a small boy, his family moved to

Adair County, Missouri Adair County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. The population census for 2020 was 25,314. As of July 1, 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Estimates for the county is 25,185, a -0.5% change. Ada ...

where he received his education in rural schools. After graduating the First District Normal School (now known as

Truman State University Truman State University (TSU or Truman) is a public university in Kirksville, Missouri. It had 4,225 enrolled students in the fall of 2021 pursuing degrees in 52 undergraduate and 11 graduate programs. The university is named for U.S. Preside ...

) in

Kirksville, Missouri Kirksville is the county seat and most populous city in Adair County, Missouri. Located in Benton Township, its population was 17,530 at the 2020 census. Kirksville is home to two colleges: Truman State University and A.T. Still University. ...

in 1874, he spent the next two years as a rural school teacher while concurrently studying law. He passed the Missouri Bar in 1876 and became a practicing attorney. By 1882, however, he gave up his law career to devote full-time to literature. Mr. Musick was also very active in Republican Party politics from his college days onward. It was his involvement in the successful 1896 presidential campaign of

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in t ...

that earned him the nomination to the post of Consul to Siam (present-day

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

). He declined the honor, choosing to continue his writing career.

Writings

While still a teenager, John Musick had several poems and short stories published, some under humorous pseudonyms such as Benjamine Broadaxe and Ebenezer Slypole. After devoting his full attention and livelihood to writing, he became quite a prolific author with some 139 works in 277 publications. His best known work is the 14-volume ''Columbian Historical Novels'' published in 1892 by Funk & Wagnalls. This series was hailed by world literary critics at the time as a bold step forward in the field of historical fiction as they explored the discovery and growth of North America through the use of fictional characters while paying strict detail to historical accuracy. John Musick's most personal work was without doubt ''In the Whirl of the Tornado'' published in ''Century Magazine'' (August 1899), a detailed account of a large deadly tornado that destroyed much of

Kirksville Kirksville is the county seat and most populous city in Adair County, Missouri. Located in Benton Township, its population was 17,530 at the 2020 census. Kirksville is home to two colleges: Truman State University and A.T. Still Universit ...

in April 1899. Although his home was spared, Mr. Musick was badly injured while attempting to rescue neighbors from the debris. He never fully recovered from the injuries and died in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

on April 14, 1901. John Musick is buried in Forest-Llewellyn Cemetery in Kirksville.

Selected bibliography

His prolific works include: * ''Brother Against Brother; or, The Tompkins Mystery'', New York International Book Co., 1887 * ''Calamity Row; or The Sunken Records''), Rand McNally & Co., 1887 * ''Saint Augustine: A Story of the Huguenots in America'', Funk & Wagnalls Co., 1892 * ''Estevan: A Story of the Spanish Conquests'', Funk & Wagnalls Co., 1892 * ''Independence: A Story of the Revolution'', Funk & Wagnalls Co., 1893 * ''Humbled Pride: A Story of the Mexican War'', Funk & Wagnalls Co., 1893 * ''The Witch of Salem; or, Credulity Run Mad'', Funk & Wagnalls Co., 1893 * ''Pocahontas: A Story of Virginia'', Funk & Wagnalls Co., 1893 * ''Stories of Missouri'', American Book Co., 1897 * ''His Brother's Crime'', F. Tennyson Neely Co., 1898 * ''Crutches for Sale: An Osteopathic Novel'', F. Tennyson Neely Co., 1899 * ''Columbian Historical Novels'', Funk & Wagnalls Co., 1895, 1906 (Posthumous republication of series with two volumes unpublished at time of his death) * ''The Real America in Romance'' (14 volumes), W. H. Wise & Co., 1908 (Posthumously published collection of earlier works)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Musick, John 1849 births 1901 deaths American historical novelists American male poets Writers from St. Louis County, Missouri People from Adair County, Missouri Truman State University alumni Missouri Republicans Missouri lawyers Novelists from Missouri People from Kirksville, Missouri American male novelists 19th-century American poets 19th-century American novelists 19th-century American male writers