H.E. Taliaferro
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Brief Biography
H.E. Taliaferro, pronounced "Tolliver," was a native of western North Carolina. As a young man, he relocated to Roane County, Tennessee, where he learned the tanning trade from his older brothers. Feeling a calling to become a preacher, Taliaferro studied at Madisonville Academy in Tennessee before settling in Talladega, Alabama, in 1835. There, he supported himself through farming and tanning while preaching at local churches. Taliaferro later moved to Tuskegee, Alabama, where he became an editor and writer for the South Western Baptist. While living in Tuskegee, Taliaferro published two literary works, a religious tract titled The Grace of God Magnified and a book of humorous sketches titled Fisher's River. Following the Civil War, Taliaferro briefly worked with local Black Baptists before returning to Tennessee, where he passed away in 1875.
Publications
The Grace of God Magnified. Charleston; Southern Baptist Society Publication, 1857.
Fisher's River Scene and Characters. New York; Harper & Brothers, 1859.
Themes
H.E. Taliaferro wrote humorous sketches that depicted characters and scenes from Alabama and North Carolina. Unlike other writers of Old Southwest Humor, Taliaferro used the double-frame technique to establish a sympathetic relationship between the tale teller and the audience.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Collection
Citation
Taliaferro, H.E., “H.E. Taliaferro,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed September 19, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/662.