Orlando Benedict Mayer
Orlando Benedict Mayer was a 19th-century writer and physician known for his contributions to Southern literature, particularly in the genre of backwoods humor. After receiving his education at South Carolina College and the Medical College of South Carolina, Mayer expanded his medical training in Europe, attending prestigious institutions in Edinburgh, Berlin, Heidelberg, and Paris. He initially practiced as a country doctor in Pomaria, South Carolina, before establishing himself in Newberry, located in the Dutch Fork region.
Mayer's literary work was largely characterized by humorous sketches and stories that depicted life in his native area, although he published many of his writings anonymously. His first notable stories appeared in the Columbia South Carolinian in 1848, where he was part of a vibrant local literary community that included other writers like A.G. Summer and William Gilmore Simms. Despite his regional acclaim, Mayer's work did not gain wider recognition until long after his death, with his novel, *John Punternick: Or, The Apple Dumplings*, being published posthumously in 1981. His legacy reflects the cultural richness of Southern storytelling and the collaborative spirit among local authors of his time.
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Subject Terms
Orlando Benedict Mayer
Writer
- Born: February 24, 1818
- Birthplace: Pomaria, South Carolina
- Died: July 16, 1891
Biography
Nineteenth century writer and physician Orlando Benedict Mayer attended South Carolina College and the Medical College of South Carolina before traveling overseas to attend medical schools in Edinburgh, Berlin, Heidelberg, and Paris. Upon his eventual return to the United States, he first became a country doctor in Pomaria, South Carolina, before settling at Newberry in the Dutch Fork region of South Carolina, where he continued to practice medicine and where he wrote prolifically.
Mayer often published his works anonymously, and though he was a revered writer in his region, he never became known outside South Carolina during his lifetime. He chiefly wrote backwoods stories and sketches, usually humorous, set in his native region: the Dutch Fork area between the Broad and Saluda Rivers. His first stories of southern humor appeared in 1848 in the Columbia South Carolinian, a newspaper edited by Mayer’s friend A.G. Summer, who also wrote in the genre of backwoods humor. Mayer’s pieces were also published in Russell’s Magazine and local newspapers. He wrote John Punternick: Or, The Apple Dumplings, a Chronicle of the Dutch Fork around 1860, but the novel did not achieve publication until 1981; five years before, Mayer’s grandniece, Rosalyn Summer Sease, had introduced the manuscript to the University of South Carolina’s South Caroliniana Library.
Mayer and several of his fellow writers in the area engaged each other frequently, exchanging tales; the group included A.G. Summer, William Gilmore Simms, and William Tappan Thompson. In 1848 they established a “Batcheler’s Hall,” in which they gathered for evenings of dinner and storytelling. Mayer also corresponded with writer Paul Hamilton Payne, who was both a friend and a colleague who could offer input on Mayer’s work.