Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

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Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of Mary Johnston, Accession #3588, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Papers of Mary Johnston were deposited by Elizabeth Johnston November 1, 1960 and became the property of the University of Virginia when she died.

Biographical/Historical Information

Mary Johnston was born November 21, 1870 in Buchanan, Virginia to Elizabeth Alexander Johnston from Moorefield, West Virginia and John W. Johnston, lawyer and railway executive, of Botetourt County, Virginia. Mary Johnston, the oldest of six children, was followed by Eloise Johnston, Anne Johnston, John Johnston, Walter Johnston, and Elizabeth Johnston; the first and last two siblings lived most of their adult lives with Mary Johnston until her death, and they are mentioned frequently in these papers.

The family moved to Birmingham, Alabama in 1886 and, except for a brief period spent in New York City around 1893 remained in Birmingham until 1902 when they moved to Richmond, Virginia. Elizabeth Alexander Johnston died in 1889 soon after the birth of her last child. John W. Johnston, a Confederate soldier and cousin to General Joseph E. Johnston, died in 1905, and soon thereafter Mary Johnston became critically ill, hovering close to death for nearly a year. Although she recovered and lived until 1936, she was plagued with horrible headaches and ill health most of her life. In 1912 Mary Johnston and Eloise Johnston bought land and built a home, "Three Hills," in Warm Springs, Virginia; this remained the Johnston family home until Elizabeth Johnston's death in the 1960's.

Mary Johnston was not formally educated but apparently did a great deal of undirected reading in her youth, particularly of literature, history, philosophy, and science. She loved nature and, as a young adult, travelled frequently in Europe. She began writing in 1893, and her novel, Prisoner of Hope, which appeared in 1898, was her first publication. Houghton, Mifflin and Co. published her novels until she changed to Harpers in 1918; in 1922 she moved to Little-Brown and Co. Her literary agent was Carl Brandt. Mary Johnston published twenty-three novels--the earlier ones such as To Have and To Hold, Audrey, Sir Mortimer, Lewis Rand, and The Long Roll were the most popular--one play, The Goddess of Reason; one historical work, The Pioneers of the Old South; and numerous short stories.

In addition to her literary and feminist activities, Mary Johnston was a self-declared pacifist in World War I and worked for peace through various organizations. She also had a great interest in socialism, although she never joined the Socialist Party. In later years she studied theosophy with much enthusiasm.

Scope and Content

The Papers of Mary Johnston consists of ca. 4000 items, including correspondence (both personal and professional), literary manuscripts, dramatic adaptations, diaries, accounts and cashbooks, photographs, speeches and news clippings.

Arrangement

The correspondence with family, friends, agents, and publishers has been arranged alphabetically by the correspondents; this correspondence comprises the first seven boxes. The miscellaneous family, suffrage and other correspondence is in chronological order and occupies boxes 8-10. Boxes 11-19 contain the manuscripts of stories, novels, and dramatic adaptations and have been arranged alphabetically by title. The diaries and copies of diaries are arranged chronologically in boxes 20 and 21. In boxes 21-22 are are rough drafts of the biography compiled by her sister from Mary Johnston's diaries and unfinished autobiography. Box 23 contains genealogical material, and boxes 24-25 contain accounts and cashbooks. In box 26 are contracts and other legal papers, as well as photographs. Box 27 holds manuscripts of speeches on suffrage, labor, books and the Civil War, and box 28 contains miscellaneous personal articles. The remainder of box 28 and boxes 29-32 contain news-clippings collected by John W. Johnston, Mary Johnston, and Elizabeth Johnston; these clippings are about local Virginia news in the late 1800's, the suffrage movement, the peace movement, and Mary Johnston's novels.