James A. Bateman Papers
Form of Material
Materials generated by Mississippi-born poet and co-author of Cotton Candy & Turnip Greens.
Dates
- circa early 1970s-1992
Creator
- Bateman, James A., James Andy, 1912- (Person)
- Bateman, Doris, 1914-2011 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Noncirculating; available for research.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).
Biographical / Historical
James Andy Bateman was born near Hazelhurst, Mississippi in 1912 during the Great Depression.[1] After graduation from high school in 1932, he worked during harvest season on vegetable and cotton farms in Mississippi and Tennessee. In between the harvests, he was hitchhiking and hoboing on the railroads.[2] He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1937 to 1957, and taught business at Florida State University and Albany Junior College (Georgia) from 1964 to 1974. After his retirement in 1974, he began to write poetry, seriously.
According to his son Joey Bateman, James Batemans’s father was a sharecropper. James joined the Marine Corp to earn enough money for his father to buy the farm that he farmed. Bateman was an expert on Robert Frost in his research and writings; and he also lectured all over the United States on Frost. He wrote poetry until his death from cancer.[3]
This collection includes manuscripts of poems by Bateman; non-poetry writings by Bateman; an unpublished manuscript by Bateman titled Dear Boss (1975); books of poetry by other authors; poetry journals; plus books and pamphlets by James and Doris Bateman.
After searching for information on his death, no information or obituary can be located for James Bateman. According to the online Copiah Monitor, his wife Doris Bateman died on January 7, 2011 and James Bateman had preceded in death before her.[4]
Extent
5.50 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Poetry, essays, manuscripts, and published works by James Andy Bateman.
Arrangement
The materials in the collection were organized by series, then alphabetical order.
Provenance
Donated by Mrs. Doris T. Bateman and Mr. Joseph R. Bateman.
Sources
Footnote 1 - Bateman, James A., James A. Bateman Papers, M661, Box 9, Folder 4, Historical Manuscripts, Special Collections, The University of Southern Mississippi Libraries.
Footnote 2 - Ibid.
Footnote 3- Information from his son Joey Bateman about his father in a phone call to the archives on July 6, 2001 in collection case file.
Footnote 4- https://www.copiahmonitor.com/2011/01/05/doris-thomas-bateman/
- Authors -- Mississippi. Subject Source: Local sources
- Bateman, James A., James Andy, 1912-
- Books. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Brochures. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Manuscript. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mississippi. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Periodicals. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Poetry. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Poets. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- James A. Bateman Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Collection processed and finding aid written by Kimberly Rayborn
- Date
- April 16, 2021
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Historical Manuscripts and Photographs Repository
118 College Drive - 5148
Hattiesburg MS 39406-0001
601.266.4345