Idora McClellan Moore
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Brief Biography
Idora McClellan Moore was born on a plantation in Alabama. She received her early education from her mother before attending the Presbyterian Synodical Collegiate Female Institute and the Methodist Centenary Institute in Alabama. Moore began her writing career during her first marriage, publishing her first Betsy Hamilton sketch in the Talladega News-Reporter in 1873. After her husband's death, Moore turned to writing as a means of financial support, gaining recognition for her humorous pieces published in prominent newspapers and magazines like The Sunny South and Harper’s Weekly. Moore also began performing her works as spoken word performances across the country and continued these performances into her old age. Moore self-published a collection of her sketches in 1921 and died in 1929. A revised collection of her sketches was published posthumously in 1937.
Publications
Betsy Hamilton: Southern Character Sketches. Atlanta; The Dickert Co., 1921.
Christmas onn Old Time Plantation. New York; Random House, 1941.
Christmas onn Old Time Plantation. New York; Random House, 1941.
Themes
Idora McClellan Moore used the pseudonym Betsy Hamilton to write around 275 dialect stories. These stories were mostly about poor southern white people but also included tales of slaves and freed slaves.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Collection
Citation
Moore, Idora McClellan, “Idora McClellan Moore,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed September 19, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/636.