Joseph Holt Ingraham
Joseph Holt Ingraham was a 19th-century American author and Episcopal priest born in Portland, Maine, in 1809. His early life remains somewhat obscure, with speculation that he attended Bowdoin College and later taught at Jefferson College in Mississippi. Ingraham was a prolific writer, reportedly claiming to have authored around eighty novels, although many of these works are difficult to trace. His literary output included a mix of adventure stories and religious themes; however, some of his novels faced criticism for their historical inaccuracies and convoluted plots. Notable works include "Lafitte: The Pirate of the Gulf" and religious novels such as "The Prince of the House of David," which explores Christ's life. Ingraham's writings contributed to the evolution of the novelistic form in the United States and reflected shifting attitudes toward religion during his time. He lived and worked in both northern and southern states, and his legacy endures primarily through his religious narratives, which were popular during his lifetime. Ingraham's life was cut short in 1860 due to a fatal accident, but his influence on American literature remains significant.
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Joseph Holt Ingraham
Writer
- Born: January 26, 1809
- Birthplace: Portland, Maine
- Died: December 18, 1860
- Place of death: Holly Springs, Mississippi
Biography
Joseph Holt Ingraham was born in Portland, Maine, in 1809 to James Milk Ingraham and Elizabeth Thurston Ingraham. Information about the author’s youth is vague. He might have attended Bowdoin College, but there is no graduation record. He also might have been a teacher at Jefferson College in Mississippi, which he later described in his book The South-West: By a Yankee, and where, speculatively, he gained the title of professor, which he used in some of his prolific publications. Indeed, Ingraham was so productive that researchers are unable to trace all of his works, and many of his novels were not quite in keeping with more traditional narratives. For instance, Lafitte: The Pirate of the Gulf received harsh criticism as a convoluted and fictitious account of pirates and Spanish treasure. Burton: Or, The Sieges defamed Aaron Burr and The Quadroone: Or, St. Michael’s Day was criticized for its incongruous notions of history.
Ingraham seems to have lived alternately in both the North and the South. In 1847, he was confirmed into the Episcopal Church. He married the daughter of a Mississippi planter, Mary Brooks, and the couple had four children. Around 1849, he established a girl’s school in Nashville, Tennessee. He became an Episcopal priest in 1851 in Jackson, Mississippi, and after two years as a missionary in Aberdeen, Mississippi, he became rector of St. John’s Church in Mobile, Alabama. In 1858, he moved once more to Riverside, Tennessee, and he later became rector of Christ Church in Holly Springs, Mississippi. He died in that city in 1860 when his gun accidentally discharged.
Author Samuel Longfellow wrote that Ingraham claimed to have written eighty novels in all and twenty in one year. Some of his novels were published in newspapers, including his books Frank Rivers: Or, The Dangers of the Town, Rafael: Or, The Twice Condemned, Scarlet Feather: Or, The Young Chief of the Abenaquies, and Ringold Griffitt: Or, The Raftsman of the Susquehannah. One critic derisively referred to these particular works as originating from “the blood-and-thunder school” of literature.
However, Ingraham’s religious, epistolary romances were very popular. His novel The Prince of the House of David describes Christ’s arrival on earth. The Pillar of Fire tells of the enslaved Israelites’ escape from Egypt and The Throne of David relates the rebellion of Prince Absalom. Ingraham is remembered primarily for these religious novels because they helped popularize the novelistic form in the United States and influenced the liberalization of conventional American attitudes toward religion.