Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Conditions Governing Access

No special access restriction applies. However, due to the faded condition of the text, researchers are recommended to use the digital transcription rather than the original typescript.

Researchers may access born digital materials by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.

Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Mary Lee Settle, Author, Typescript Titled "The West Virginians", A&M 4362, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Biographical / Historical

Mary Lee Settle (29 July 1918-27 September 2005) was born in Charleston, West Virginia. Although Settle would not live in the state again after she left West Virginia for college at age 18, she nonetheless retained strong ties to the state throughout her life.

During World War II, Settle moved to England and joined the British Women's Auxiliary Air Force, and later the Office of War Information. After the war, Settle returned to the United States, working as an editor and later teaching writing to graduate-level students. Settle also travelled extensively and lived abroad for periods of time.

Settle wrote extensively during her lifetime, publishing 23 books. Among these were a number of non-fiction works, several of them auto-biographical, and 15 novels. Notable among these is her "Beulah Quintet", a historical fiction series telling the history of the settlement of "Canona" -- a stand-in for Charleston, West Virginia -- from the roots of its settlers in Cromwell's England up to the late 1970s. These novels draw from the West Virginia roots of Settle's family.

Settle continued to write and travel up until her death on 27 September 2005, aged 87.

Content Description

Photo-process duplicate of a typescript by Mary Lee Settle titled "The West Virginians". A digital transcription of the typescript is available. Typescript regards the history of the state and character of her citizens. Settle also addresses national perceptions thereof, particularly in the context of the national attention drawn to the state and region by the nascent "War on Poverty". The typescript includes corrections and amendations in pencil. Settle, who was born in Charleston, West Virginia, was a professor and an award-winning writer of both non-fiction and fiction. For further information regarding Settle, please see the "Biographical" note.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Appalachian Region -- History
• Coal mining.
• West Virginia
• West Virginia - stereotypes.
• West Virginia -- Economic conditions
• West Virginia -- History