The Havana Public Library District’s Guide to

Eudora Welty’s

Eudora (far right) and her cousins,

circa 1920s

Unknown Ancestors

Great Great Uncle Battle Fairchild murdered on the Natchez Trace on his way

to his brother’s home

Great Grandfather George Fairchild married

Mary Shannon both died of natural causes

Great Uncle Battle killed in the Civil War

Great Uncle Denis killed in the Mexican

War

Great Uncle Gordon killed in the Civil War,

Battle of Shiloh

Great Uncle George killed in the Civil War

married

Mashula Hines died of natural causes

Grandfather James killed in a duel

married

Laura Allen died of a broken heart

Great Aunt Mac

(Maureen) married

Duncan Laws killed in the Civil War,

Battle of Corinth

Great Aunt Shannon married

Lucian Miles killed in the Civil War

Denis killed in WWI

married

Virgie Lee mentally ill

Rowena died of illness

Battle

married

Ellen Dabney

Tempe

married

Pinck Summers

Mary Denis

married

Mr. Buchanan

Primrose

George married

Robbie Reid (female)

Age 19

Maureen Age 9; has

traumatic brain

injury

Dabney Age 17

is marrying

Troy Flavin Age 34

Orrin Age 14

India Age 9

Roy Age 8

Lady Clare Age 9

Shannon George

Bluet Age 3

Ranny Age 4

Little Battle Age 5

Shelley Age 19

Jim Allen (female)

Age 43 Annie Laurie died of illness,

January 1923

married

Mr. McRaven

Laura Age 9

Fairchild Family Tree

September 10, 1923

Fairchilds Townspeople

Dr. Murdoch, family doctor Buster Daggett, Troy’s friend at the ice and coal Rebel Reid, Robbie’s sister Judge Reid, Robbie and Rebel’s father; a former justice of the peace Irene Swanson, Robbie and Rebel’s mother Old Man Swanson, Rebel and Robbie’s dead grandfather Miss Thelma, postmistress Sammie McNair, delivery man Old Man Treat, who delivers the wedding cake and is a relation of Robbie’s Miss Thracia Leeds, Fairchilds old maid Miss Mayo Tucker, Fairchilds old maid Miss Maggie Kincaid, Fairchilds old maid Miss Tessie, who sends roses Miss Bonnie Hitchcock, who sends her fern Miss Parnell Dortch, who has fabulous Cape jessamines in her yard Dunstan Rondo, Methodist minister at Fairchilds

The Wedding Party

Mary Lamar Mackey, Dabney’s friend; wedding pianist Nan-Earl Delaney, bridesmaid Gypsy Randall, bridesmaid Deltah and Dagmar Wiggins, bridesmaids Charlsie McLeoud, bridesmaid Bitsy Carmichael, bridesmaid Dickie Boy Featherstone, Dabney’s former beau; one of Troy’s groomsmen Pokey Calloway, groomsman Hugh V. McLeoud, groomsman Shine Young, groomsman Pee Wee Kuykendall, groomsman Red Boyne, groomsman

Servants (all work at Shellmound, unless otherwise stated)

Bitsy, male servant Roxie, the cook Little Uncle, male servant Sue Ellen, Little Uncle’s wife and the Fairchild children’s nurse; currently away for her pregnancy Vi’let, housemaid Sudie, Roxie’s daughter Howard, male servant Pleas, Howard’s son Horace, male servant Man-Son, field hand Big Baby, field hand Lethe, housekeeper at The Grove Little Matthew, servant at The Grove Preacher, chauffeur at The Grove Pinchy, who has bouts of mental illness Partheny, former nurse; also has bouts of mental illness; hoodoo practi-tioner Sylvanus, Partheny’s son Oneida, who is asked to dress chickens for the wedding Aunt Studney, mentally ill old women who totes a large sack every-where Tippy, Little Uncle and Sue Ellen’s daughter Juju, a field hand

Other

Mr. Terry Black, the train conductor Mr. Doolittle, the train engineer Mr. Bascom, former overseer The Girl in the Woods, unknown Pee Wee Prentiss, Shelley’s friend Piggy McReddy, Shelley’s date to a dance Old Ronald McBane, owner of the Old Argyle (cotton) Gin, whom Grandpa Fairchild challenged to a duel Lucy Bell O’Malley, Laura’s neighbor in Jackson

Places

Fairchilds, the neighboring town Shellmound, the plantation house where Battle, Ellen, and their children live The Grove, the house where Aunt Jim Allen and Aunt Primorose live; legally be-longs to George, originally willed to Tempe Marmion, the grand mansion Grandpa James Fairchild built for himself, his wife, Laura Allen, and their many children; belonged to Denis, who never lived there; originally willed to Annie Laurie; Troy and Dabney will live there Glen Alan, unincorporated community in Washington County James’s Bayou, haunted swamp near The Grove Inverness, town in Sunflower County where Aunt Tempe and Uncle Pinck live Greenwood, county seat of Leflore County; city where Mary Lamar Mackey lives Round Bayou, a town Clarksdale, city in Coahoma County Mitchem Corners, Ellen’s hometown in Virginia

Glen Alan

Shellmound

Inverness

Greenwood

Clarksdale

MEMPHIS

Endpaper Map of 1946 Edition Real Places Referenced in the Novel