__NOTOC__ Frances Ormond Jones Gaither (May 21, 1889 – October 28, 1955) was an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while othe ...

whose major works depict

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

in the plantation South. Gaither was born in

Somerville, Tennessee Somerville is a town in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Memphis metropolitan area. The population was 3,415 at the 2020 census, up from 3,094 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Fayette County. History The to ...

, but her family moved to

Corinth, Mississippi Corinth is a city in and the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,573 at the 2010 census. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835. It lies on the state line with Tennessee. History Corinth was founded i ...

, soon after her birth. She graduated from the

Mississippi State College for Women Mississippi University for Women (MUW or "The W") is a coeducational public university in Columbus, Mississippi. It was formerly named the Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls and later the Mississippi State College f ...

in 1909 and briefly taught

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

English in Corinth. Gaither and her husband, Rice, moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

in 1929, where he worked as a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and she pursued a writing career. She produced four books for children in the 1930s—three works of fiction, ''The Painted Arrow'' (1931), ''The Scarlet Coat'' (1934), ''Little Miss Cappo'' (1937), and a biography of La Salle entitled ''The Fatal River'' (1931) Gaither is most renowned, however, for her trinity of novels for adult readers about

American slavery The legal institution of human chattel slavery, comprising the enslavement primarily of Africans and African Americans, was prevalent in the United States of America from its founding in 1776 until 1865, predominantly in the South. Slave ...

—''Follow the Drinking Gourd'' (1940), ''The Red Cock Crows'' (1944), and ''Double Muscadine'' (1949). While long

out of print __NOTOC__ An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a boo ...

, the second of these works is probably Gaither's most significant work—a dramatic tale of a

slave rebellion A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by enslaved people, as a way of fighting for their freedom. Rebellions of enslaved people have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery or have practiced slavery in the past. A desire for freed ...

based on historical events in

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 ...

in 1835.Tim A. Ryan. "Designs against Tara: Frances Gaither's ''The Red Cock Crows'' and Other Counternarratives to ''Gone with the Wind''." Mississippi Quarterly 59.2 (Spring 2006): 243-69.

References

External links

A survey of Gaither’s life and works by Ronald L. Davis on the ''Corinth Information Database''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaither, Frances American historical novelists 1889 births 1955 deaths American women novelists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers Women historical novelists People from Somerville, Tennessee People from Corinth, Mississippi Novelists from Tennessee Novelists from Mississippi Mississippi University for Women alumni

References

Further reading

External links