Category Archives: Josephine Huggins

Many Hands, Many Voices: Writing, Editing, and Publishing Indian Captivity Narratives Part II

by Zabelle Stodola, University of Arkansas at Little Rock In part one, I discussed several letters having to do with the writing of Josephine Huggins’ captivity narrative, and I also considered the fact that the holograph manuscript is missing. In this … Continue reading

Posted in history of printing, Josephine Huggins, Zabelle Stodola | 1 Comment

In Which Real Indians Are Captive to Dime Hero Wanna-bes

Oecetiduta commented on my post, Yellow-back Gold: “Too bad the stories of  ‘Indians’ being held captive are not shared, too.” That is precisely why historians of the western Indian wars need to pay attention to the pop-culture of the 19th century. … Continue reading

Posted in Dime Books, Edward Sylvester Ellis, Josephine Huggins | Leave a comment

Innocence and Evil

This engraving, titled “The Minnesota Massacre,” faces the title page for Josephine Huggins’s story in Beadle’s Boys’ Book of Romance and Adventure No. 10. Dime publishers had extensive collections of stock artwork they recycled in multiple titles. While the expressions … Continue reading

Posted in Dime Books, Edward Sylvester Ellis, Josephine Huggins | 1 Comment

Meet “Mrs. Huggins, the Minnesota Captive”

Cover (facsimile) of Beadle and Adams Boys Books of Romance and Adventure, No. 10 containing “The Minnesota Captive,” 1864, as reproduced in the Garland Library of Narratives of North American Indian Captivities, vol. 86, 1978. ***** “When the reader takes … Continue reading

Posted in Dime Books, Edward Sylvester Ellis, Josephine Huggins | 1 Comment

Many Hands, Many Voices: Writing, Editing, and Publishing Indian Captivity Narratives

by Zabelle Stodola, University of Arkansas at Little Rock “Captivity narratives are tricky texts” says my friend and colleague Christopher Castiglia who teaches at Penn State University and who published the book Bound and Determined: Captivity, Culture-Crossing, and White Womanhood … Continue reading

Posted in Captivity, Josephine Huggins, Zabelle Stodola | 2 Comments

The Remarkable Story of Edward S. Ellis

Edward Sylvester Ellis, 1840-1916 Who was Edward S. Ellis and what made him an authority on Minnesota history? “Wait!” you might protest, “You said Ellis wrote pulp fiction! That is very different from writing history!” Fiction and non-fiction seem like … Continue reading

Posted in Edward Sylvester Ellis, Fiction, Josephine Huggins | 2 Comments

Fodder for Pulp Fiction

If Mary Butler Renville’s A Thrilling Narrative of Indian Captivity has the distinction of being the earliest extended Dakota War  narrative to appear in print, Josephine Huggins’s has another: It is the earliest to be co-opted for novelization. Cover, Dime … Continue reading

Posted in Edward Sylvester Ellis, Fiction, Josephine Huggins, Zabelle Stodola | 1 Comment

Josephine’s Experience Becomes a Story

Obituary clipping: Josephine Marsh Huggins Hanthorne c. 1927. Thomas Hughes Papers, Mankato State University, Mankato, MN. Newspaper not identified. ***** Eliza Huggins’s letters, which I transcribed in the previous post in this series about  Josephine Huggins’s 1862 captivity story, told … Continue reading

Posted in Doing Historical Research, Josephine Huggins, Primary Sources | 1 Comment

Josephine Huggins: “It is impossible for me to name the innumerable blessings”

Sophia Josephine Marsh Huggins Hanthorne 1838-1927. Part three in a series about new documents commenting on Sophia Josephine Marsh‘s 1862 captivity story. ***** Letter “D” Oak Grove Dec 14th/63 Mr. Riggs My Dear friend Your kind letter with the draught … Continue reading

Posted in Josephine Huggins, Primary Sources, Stephen R. Riggs | 1 Comment

Eliza Huggins: “We thank you for the trouble you… have had with Josephine’s narrative.”

“Adventures Among the Indians: Narrative of the Captivity and Rescue of Mrs. Sophia Josephine Huggins,” as reprinted in the St. Paul Weekly Press February 12, 1863, page 3.  In Rescuing Josephine Huggins, I opened the story of a new collection … Continue reading

Posted in Belle Martin Renville, Captivity, Josephine Huggins, Primary Sources | 3 Comments