James Whitcomb Riley (1849 - 1916)

Born 7 Oct 1849 in Greenfield, Hancock, Indiana, United States

Ancestors

Died 22 Jul 1916 at age 66 in Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana, United States

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Biography

James Riley is Notable.

James Whitcomb Riley

American writer, poet and best selling author, he was fondly known as the Hoosier Poet and the Children's Poet. He is best know for his humorous poems such as "Little Orphant Annie" and "When the Frost is on the Punkin" which Riley recited himself for packed audiences across the U.S. and in Europe." ^[1]

James Whitcomb Riley was born October 7, 1849 in Greenfield, the second son and third of six children raised by Reuben A. – a Civil War veteran and lawyer – and Elizabeth (Marine) Riley. ^[2]

"At the age of 16 Riley left school to become a "house, sign, and ornamental painter," wandering around Indiana. He read law for a while but took to the road with a traveling medicine man from whose wagon he learned to entertain the public with recitations in dialect. When he returned to Greenfield, he started a career in journalism, beginning with the local paper and expanding his horizons gradually. At one time he was local editor of the Anderson Democrat." ^[3]

"His reputation was gained first by a series of poems in Hoosier dialect ostensibly written by a farmer, Benj. F. Johnson, of Boone, contributed to the Indianapolis Daily Journal and later published as “The Old Swimmin’-Hole” and ’Leven More Poems (1883). Riley was briefly local editor of the Anderson (Ind.) Democrat, but his later life was spent in Indianapolis.." ^[4]

"Riley became a bestselling author in the 1890s. His children’s poems were compiled into a book and illustrated by Howard Chandler Christy. Titled the Rhymes of Childhood, the book was his most popular and sold millions of copies. As a poet, Riley achieved an uncommon level of fame during his own lifetime. He was honored with annual Riley Day celebrations around the United States and was regularly called on to perform readings at national civic events." ^[5]

In 1898, Riley addressed the poem "Brother Jonathan" to the bigotry against Irish immigrants. "The looming figure of “Brother Jonathan” was still fresh decades later when George R. Dale, the brave editor of the Muncie Post-Democrat, reprinted it as part of his long battle against the powerful Hoosier Klan." ^[6]

"When Riley died July 22, 1916, Woodrow Wilson called him “a man who imparted joyful pleasure and a thoughtful view of many things that other men would have missed,” and some 35,000 people filed past his casket in the Indiana State Capitol." ^[7] Many of Riley's poems are preserved on Project Gutenberg.

Works by James Whitcomb Riley

The Old Swimmin'-Hole and 'Leven More Poems (1883, poetry)

Character Sketches, The Boss Girl, A Christmas Story, and Other Sketches (1886, sketches)

Afterwhiles (1888)

Nye and Riley's Railway Guide (1888, with Edgar W. Nye)

Old-Fashioned Roses (1888, poetry)

Pipes o' Pan at Zekesbury (1888, poetry)

Rhymes of Childhood (1891, poetry)

Neighborly Poems (1891, poetry)

The Flying Islands of the Night (1891, poetry)

Poems Here at Home (1893, poetry)

Green Fields and Running Brooks (1893)

Armazindy (1894)

The Days Gone By and Other Poems (1894, poetry)

A Tinkle of Bells and Other Poems (1895, poetry)

A Child-World (1896, poetry)

Rubaiyat of Doc Sifers (1897)

Riley Love-Lyrics (1899, poetry)

Home Folks (1900, poetry)

The Book of Joyous Children (1902)

His Pa's Romance (1903)

A Defective Santa Claus (1904)

Riley Songs o' Cheer (1905, poetry)

While the Heart Beats Young (1906)

Morning (1907)

The Boys of the Old Glee Club (1907)

Old School Day Romances (1909)

A Hoosier Romance, 1868. (1910)

Knee Deep in June (1912, poetry)

Complete Works (1913, anthology)

Fugitive Pieces (1914)

Early Poems (1914, poetry)

RILEY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The people in Indiana have not forgotten their Hoosier poet. Riley Children's Hospital bears the name of this poet who loved children. His childhood home in Greenfield is now a museum, as is the Lockerbie House in Indianapolis where he spent his final years. Greenfield celebrates his birthday with an annual four-day festival; one of the highlights is a parade in which children bring flowers to be placed at his statue.

Sources

1. ↑ Retro Indy: James Whitcomb Riley, Indy Star, July 22, 2014
2. ↑ We Do History, Indiana History
3. ↑ Encyclopedia.com
4. ↑ Britannica.com
5. ↑ Riley Festival.com
6. ↑ No Imported Patriots
7. ↑ Poetry Foundation

• Riley on Digital Indy
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/873/james_whitcomb-riley: accessed March 30, 2024), memorial page for James Whitcomb Riley (7 Oct 1849–22 Jul 1916), Find A Grave: Memorial #873, citing Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.
• Wikisource.org
• Learn about the namesake of Riley Hospital for Children by visiting the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home in the historic Lockerbie neighborhood of Indianapolis. 
• Wikipedia: Riley Hospital for Children
• Riley Museum Home
• Buckeye Muse
• 10-cent Famous American Poets stamp, issued February 24, 1940, pictures James Whitcomb Riley. Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Online Resources

• The James Whitcomb Riley Home in Greenfield, Indiana