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= Wirt_Sikes =
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Introduction
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William Wirt Sikes (November 23, 1836 - August 18, 1883) was an
American journalist and writer, perhaps best known today for his
writings on Welsh folklore and customs.
Early life
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William Wirt Sikes was born in Watertown, New York, the son of William
Johnson Sikes, a prominent local physician. He was the seventh of
eleven children, of whom only six survived to adulthood. Sikes himself
was seriously ill as a child and almost lost his hearing, so he was
largely educated at home. At fourteen he went to work for a printer
and learned how to set type. He supported himself thereafter by
typesetting, contributing to local newspapers, and giving temperance
lectures.
At the age of nineteen, on August 28, 1855, he married Jeannette Annie
Wilcox (1837-1889); they had two children, George Preston Sikes
(1856-1957) and Clara Jeanette Sikes (1858-1956).
Career in America
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In 1856 he was working at the 'Utica Morning Herald' as a typesetter
and contributor. He published a book of stories and poems, 'A Book for
the Winter-Evening Fireside', in 1858. He spent time in Chicago
working at newspapers there, and around 1860 worked on a paper called
'City and Country' in Nyack, New York. In 1862 he was given the job of
canal inspector in Chicago for the state-owned Illinois and Michigan
Canal. While in Chicago he was separated from his wife, by mutual
consent; they divorced in 1870.
Between 1865 and 1867 he went to New York City to work on newspapers
there; he took a special interest in the lives of the poor there. He
continued to write, publishing stories in 'The Youth's Companion',
'Oliver Optic's Magazine', and others. He published two novels, 'The
World's Broad Stage' (serialized in the 'Toledo Blade') and 'One Poor
Girl' (1869). Sikes gave lectures and was represented by the Boston
Lyceum Bureau from 1869 to 1871; he married fellow lecturer Olive
Logan on December 27, 1871.
In Europe
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After their marriage the couple went to Europe, where they continued
to practice journalism. Sikes produced a biographical and critical
piece on the Wiertz Museum for 'Harper's Magazine' in 1873 which was
later reprinted by the museum.
In June 1876 Sikes was appointed U.S. Consul at Cardiff, Wales. Over
the next few years Sikes produced a number of pieces on Welsh
folklore, mythology, and customs, collected as 'British Goblins; Welsh
Folk-Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends, and Traditions' (1880) and
'Rambles and Studies in Old South Wales' (1881). He also wrote
'Studies of Assassination' (1881). He died in Brompton in 1883 and was
buried in Brookwood Cemetery, Brookwood, Surrey.
Sikes is said to have used as many as thirty pseudonyms for his
prolific output, as well as material published under his own name. As
"Burton Saxe" he wrote the dime novel 'The Black Hunter; or, The Cave
Secret' (American Tales #22, 1865).
A literary appreciation
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In George Presbury Rowell's memoir 'Forty Years an Advertising Agent',
he recalls a column in the 'New York Tribune', "wherein certain
literary characters were reviewed in grades and classes, beginning
with - I don't remember whom, Thackeray perhaps, and descending, as
the editor expressed it, 'down to Wirt Sikes'".
See also
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*Welsh culture
*Welsh folklore
*Welsh mythology
License
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License URL:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirt_Sikes
