Cola Barr Craig (, Barr;

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

, Benjamin H. Craig; March 17, 1861 – January 20, 1930) was an author of the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is census regions United States Census Bureau. It is between the Atlantic Ocean and the ...

who wrote short stories and a novel. Also a

clubwoman The club movement is an American women's social movement that started in the mid-19th century and spread throughout the United States. It established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform public policy. While wome ...

, she served as president of several organizations including the

United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, a ...

(U.D.C.), the Memorial Association of

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. Abou ...

, and United Charities of Selma.

Early life and education

Cola Amanda Barr was born March 17, 1861, at

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

Hinds County, Mississippi Hinds County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. With its county seats (Raymond and the state's capital, Jackson), Hinds is the most populous county in Mississippi with a 2020 census population of 227,742 residents. Hinds Co ...

. She was educated at Fair Lawn Institute,

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

, graduating in 1879.

Lineage

She was the daughter of Col. James and Frances (Donnell) Barr, the former a native of

New York state New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

, who early in life moved with his parents to Jackson, Mississippi, and during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, served in

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

, as colonel of the 10th Mississippi Infantry Regiment and was killed at

Kennesaw Mountain Kennesaw Mountain is a mountain between Marietta and Kennesaw, Georgia in the United States with a summit elevation of . It is the highest point in the core ( urban and suburban) metro Atlanta area, and fifth after further-north exurban count ...

. She was the granddaughter of James and Margaret (Smith) Barr, of

Patchogue, New York Patchogue ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 12,408 at the time of the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Patchogue is an incorporated community in the Town (New ...

, and of William H. and Susan (Benthal) Donnell, natives of

Wilson County, Tennessee Wilson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is in Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 147,737. Its county seat is Lebanon. The largest city is Mt. Juliet. Wilson County is part of the Nashville-Davids ...

, who resided at Jackson, Mississippi, for many years. Craig was a descendent of Capt. John Donnell, of

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Mecklenburg County () is a County (United States), county located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it th ...

, known as the fighting parson during

colonial times The ''Colonial Times'' was a newspaper in what is now the Australian state of Tasmania. It was established as the ''Colonial Times, and Tasmanian Advertiser'' in 1825 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colon ...

, and of John Benthal, a private in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Cola's siblings were: Georgia, Samuel and James.

Career

Craig served as president of several organizations, including the

(U.D.C.), the Memorial Association of Selma, Alabama, and United Charities of Selma. She also held the position of vice-president of the Anti-Suffrage association of the U.D.C. Alongside Mrs. James S. Pinckard, Craig attempted to co-organize a branch of the Southern Women's Rejection League, but the effort was unsuccessful. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Craig was the county chair for the State Council of Defense and chaired the Dallas County committee on food conservation and production. She played a key role in the establishment of the first hospital in Selma, which was owned by United Charities. Craig was a member of the Ossian Club, a literary organization, and served as secretary-treasurer of the "Scribblers," the first organized writers' club in Alabama. She was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

and

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. Craig authored the novel ''Was She'' and an unpublished work titled ''The Contrast'', along with numerous short stories and poems.

Personal life

On June 3, 1885, in

Dallas County, Alabama Dallas County is a County (United States), county located in the Central Alabama, central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 38,462. The county seat is Selma, Alabama, Selma. ...

, she married Benjamin H. Craig. They had a son, Benjamin H. Jr. and a daughter, Cola Barr. Cola Barr Craig made her home in

, where she died January 20, 1930.

Selected works

*
Was She: A Novel
' (1906)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, Cola Barr 1861 births 1930 deaths 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American novelists American women novelists American women short story writers Clubwomen Presidents general of the United Daughters of the Confederacy Writers from Jackson, Mississippi Writers of American Southern literature People from Selma, Alabama American anti-suffragists