East Tennessee State University
Archives of Appalachia
Box 70295
Johnson City, Tennessee 37614
E-mail: archives@etsu.edu
Telephone: (423) 439-4338
INTRODUCTION
Title: BRAINARD CHENEY PAPERS
Collection Number: Accession No. 252
Physical Description: 1 folder
Creator: Brainard Bartwell Cheney
Repository: Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Provenance: The Brainard Cheney Papers were donated to the Archives of Appalachia on July 1, 1985, by Kathleen McCracken on behalf of Special Collections, Vanderbilt University Archives, Nashville, Tennessee.
Access: Restricted - The papers may not be duplicated. Request for copies may be directed to Vanderbilt University.
Processing Information: J.Shelton and Tim Cook completed processing and the papers were opened for research in September 1986. Ed Speer completed revisions in 1987 and 1993.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Brainard Bartwell Cheney was born in Fitzgerald, Georgia, June 3, 1900, and raised in a south Georgia sawmill town. Educated at The Citadel, the University of Georgia, and Vanderbilt University, he worked as a bank clerk, timber dealer, and school principal before entering the field of journalism. From 1925 to 1942 he was police reporter and a member of the editorial staff of the Nashville Banner. During World War II he was executive secretary to Tom Stewart, United States Senator from Tennessee. After seven years as a self-employed writer and editor, he worked from 1952 to 1958 as a member of the public relations staff of Governor Frank Clement of Tennessee.
Cheney wrote four novels: Lightwood (1939), River Rogue (1942), This is Adam (1958), and Devil's Elbow (1969). His play "Strangers in This World" was first performed in 1950 at Vanderbilt University. His short stories and articles were published in Coronet, Georgia Review, Sewanee Review, and other periodicals.
Cheney died in 1990.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The Brainard Cheney Papers consist of a photocopy of Cheney's play "Strangers in This World" (original manuscript in possession of Vanderbilt University), a three-act play which deals with the topic of snake handling by using music and dance.
Organization: The papers are contained in a single folder and stored in small collections.
Important subjects covered in this collection:
Appalachian Region, Southern--Fiction
Cheney, Brainard, 1900- 1990. "Strangers in This World"
Snake Cults (Holiness churches)--Fiction
MTC 12/00