Afterword:
History and Fiction
WHEN I SET OUT TO WRITE LOVELIER THAN DAYLIGHT, I knew it would be an unusual novel for the inspirational market, unusual in its frank look at the wide variety of opinions and behaviors that surrounded the Westerville Whiskey Wars of 1875 and 1879.
In this novel, people of faith grapple with difficult questions about the use and abuse of alcohol, questions that still cause controversy and divide families and churches. My aim was to depict all of these opinions and show how one family might have handled the decisions that faced them under the circumstances. I did not try to advocate one point of view or elevate one believer above another, but instead aimed to hold up a mirror to a historical event that still has the power to cause us to examine our moral choices.
My characters are imperfect, as we all are. I expect their experiences will generate lively discussion among book clubs! I love my heroes and heroines because they so deeply desire to help others and do good, even though they fumble their way through occasional bad decisions and lapses in self-control as they seek to follow Christ’s example of love. If they were not as flawed as the rest of us, they would only be fairy tales. So to do justice to the real people behind my story, I must write them to be real, and to grapple with the richness of life and Scripture.
Ben Hanby, famous composer and hero of my novel Sweeter than Birdsong, had a real cousin named Susan. She was the niece of the real William Hanby, who appears in Lovelier than Daylight fifty years after we first met him in Fairer than Morning.
During my research in the Westerville Public Library’s archives, I discovered that Susan Hanby had an older sister named Ruth Ann Hanby, who married a man named George Lehman. When Ruth Ann died at a young age, George Lehman gave their six children to the Hardin County Infirmary in Kenton. Unlike the fictional Leeds children in Lovelier than Daylight, the Lehman children were separated from one another and scattered across the state. I was struck by this tragedy and the motive of any father who would give his children away, as well as this puzzle: why did none of the Hanbys have the power to rescue these children, who were Susan Hanby’s nieces and nephews as well as the grandchildren of William Hanby’s brother?
I was fascinated by the potential resonance of this true story about the abandoned Hanby cousins with the events of the Westerville Whiskey Wars. Out of that resonance, Lovelier than Daylight was born, with the fictionalized Susan Hanby appearing as Susanna Hanby. Some of the family details have been changed, but most of the information about the Hanby family adheres to the historical record.
Henry Corbin was the real entrepreneur who foolhardily tried to bring alcohol to Westerville, a center of the temperance movement. No one ever found out who bombed Henry Corbin’s saloon, either of the times he tried to open it. For the sake of clear narrative, I condensed the events of the Whiskey Wars into one year. I am indebted to Harold Hancock’s Our Ancestors of the Westerville Area: A Genealogical History for its in-depth description of the confrontation between town and saloon through the diary of Isaac Speer, an eyewitness. I also relied on newspaper accounts of incidents in the war, and most of the dramatic events in this novel are true: the ringing of the bells and profane argument in the street between Corbin and the townsfolk, the church meetings, the bombings, the hanging in effigy.
William Hanby’s barn was actually burned, perhaps in retaliation by some unknown person he offended through his outspoken behavior during the saloon battle. The words that I have placed in his mouth in the scene after the barn burns reflect what the real William Hanby said on his deathbed, praising God through tears for all his blessings, though he had been abused as a boy, saw two of his sons predecease him, and died practically penniless. His compassion for others and gratitude through hardship have inspired me throughout my years of work on the Saddler’s Legacy series.
Westerville and the United Brethren church were shamed in the local and national press for what the vigilantes did to Corbin. The harsh, mocking text that I have used and attributed to the fictional Brundish of the Dispatch was published in an article without a byline by a reporter at the New York Times on September 16, 1879.
Johann Giere and his family are fictional, but closely based on the great German American brewing families of Columbus, including the Borns and the Hosters. The German population of Ohio was industrious and successful, and brought many cultural benefits to the area in music, the arts, and the physical education of the Turnverein. The historic Columbus Maennerchor to which Johann belongs was founded in 1848 and still sings in German: I had the pleasure of visiting them and received a very kind and memorable welcome during the research for this book.
The City Park in German Village where Johann first proposes to Susanna is a real place now called Schiller Park, and beautiful historical photos exist of its rustic bridges and pathways.
Many other events and locations in the novel are real, but those who are interested in learning more may visit the historical sites, libraries, and museums that contain more information about the Hanbys, German Village, and Columbus. These include the Hanby House museum, the Ohio Historical Society, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, and the Westerville Public Library.
Ohio has a rich and inspiring history, and it is with pleasure, a thankful heart, and a twinge of regret that I finish the last novel in the chronicle of the Hanby family and give it to you. I hope their story will bless you, reader, in all the thorny and joyful ways that it has blessed me.
Reading Group Guide
1. Why do Susanna’s nieces and nephews end up in the orphanage? Is it due to the choices of one parent or both? Are there parallels between the 1875 situation of these children and the reasons why children end up as wards of the state in twenty-first-century America?
2. Susanna has a strong antipathy to alcohol that affects her behavior toward Johann. Is her attitude understandable? Many people have painful personal histories that may color the way they see complete strangers. Have you ever observed or experienced this kind of pre-judgment? What are its consequences?
3. What dilemma faces Johann throughout the novel? Why does he choose one way of life over the other? What is admirable about his character?
4. In this novel, Will and Ann Hanby are fifty years older than when they first appeared as teenagers in Fairer than Morning. Do you enjoy a story that follows characters throughout their lives? How can that story differ from one that shows only a year or two in the life of a character?
5. The temperance movement of the nineteenth century resulted in the twentieth-century legal prohibition of alcoholic beverages, which is generally seen as a failure. Why do you think legal prohibition failed? And why is there no organized, high-profile temperance movement today as there was in the nineteenth century?
6. Some characters in the novel are willing to do whatever it takes to get Corbin’s saloon out of Westerville, even resorting to violence or bloodshed. How does this conviction match up with their Christian faith? Is violence ever justified in the name of morality?
7. How are George Leeds and Arthur Pippen different, despite their similar addictions? How would the novel change if one of these characters were edited out—if we saw George’s story without Arthur’s or vice versa?
8. The town of Westerville is publicly shamed in the press for the events that take place there. This is not uncommon today: an entire community or group of people may be vilified for the actions of a few. How does this media stereotyping show up in our own time? What can the Westerville Whiskey Wars teach us about how to read the news?
9. The housekeeper in charge of the Hare Home seems to enjoy demonstrating her power over others just because she can. In what areas of life does a petty tyrant make people miserable? Does power corrupt everyone, most people, or just a few people? How can faith serve as an antidote to the temptations of power?
10. How does the wisdom of older people affect the younger generation in Lovelier than Daylight? What advice or counsel do older people give that helps
Susanna and Johann? Why do the younger people listen to their elders instead of ignoring them? What does that teach us about how to give advice and build character in the young?
11. Reading a book about a controversial and sometimes painful issue like addiction can stir up deep feeling and strong opinion. Why is it valuable to read books of this nature?
Acknowledgments
MY HEARTFELT THANKS TO MY HUSBAND AND DAUGHter, who helped me bear the pressures of the writing life with kindness and love.
Thanks also to the many generous folks who helped in the research process and in Westerville, including:
Pam and Jim Allen of Hanby House. The gift of your help, support, and friendship are matched only by your generosity in giving over thirty years of your work to preserve the Hanbys’ legacy.
Bill and Harriet Merriman of the Westerville Historical Society—many thanks for your encouragement.
Professor Margaret Koehler, mostly for friendship but also for the connection to a fabulously enjoyable creative writing class at Otterbein.
Beth Weinhardt, dedicated local archivist and historian at the Westerville library.
Michelle Fuchs, Gena Wooldridge, and your whole family for your love and hospitality.
Werner Niehaus, Steve Maurer, and the men of the Columbus Maennerchor, who made me welcome in the time-honored tradition of German hospitality.
Julie Callahan, Andy Miller, and Russ Pollitt of the Columbus Metropolitan Library for their generous willingness to go into the local history archives and look up the locations of buildings as well as other Columbus historical tidbits.
Peter Connolly-Smith, expert scholar of German American history, who helped with some of my questions about German culture. Thanks also to Mary Ann Hake for connecting me with Sharon Ozarowicz, who double-checked some language questions. Any errors in the German part of the story are strictly mine, as their help was invaluable. The editorial team also had to make some tough decisions about whether to Americanize certain conventions of the German language, as the story is German American rather than German. So if sharp-eyed German experts notice what would be any irregularities for native German conventions, know that our experts gave us plenty of accurate feedback, but we then had to use our best judgment to aim for readability.
Dr. Lynn Pearson, English architectural scholar, who kindly responded to my inquiry about her brewery architectural research by sending me helpful information.
Mark Gauen, Pastor, Westerville First Presbyterian for rummaging through old photos and providing a fantastic description of the church circa 1875.
Adam Criblez for lending me his paper on Columbus Beer Gardens and German American culture, as well as providing a few helpful bibliographical links.
Jeff Darbee, author and expert in German Village history, who gave me the benefit of his advice about the residences of German immigrants and their first-and second-generation descendants.
A tardy but sincere thanks to John Diehl of the Cincinnati Literary Club for answering some questions about the history of his club for Sweeter than Birdsong, the second novel in this series.
All the people who have answered the phone at various historic Columbus buildings and let me grill them about the location of the building, whether they’ve ever seen antique photos, and how it looks today. You are very patient.
Sincere thanks to the publishing professionals, readers, critique partners, and writing friends who have been there for me, in some cases from the very beginning, including:
Ami McConnell and Meredith Efken, my very talented editors. Through your help, the books came together despite all the challenges and some very tight deadlines. I will always be grateful for your high level of expertise—it is a privilege and an honor to work with you.
All the other professional and expert folks at Thomas Nelson Publishing who have worked on this series, in particular Kristen Vasgaard and Becky Monds, who have put hours of labor into the cover art and copyediting, with tremendous results.
Lorena Hughes, Dave Slade, Angie Drobnic Holan, Laura Johnson, Rachel Padilla, and Barbara Leachman for your valuable feedback. The journey would not have been the same without you—I love you all!
My writer friends and encouragers, so many wonderful people that I can’t name them all, but I must try to get a few in: Caroline Starr Rose, Gwen Stewart, Wendy Paine Miller, Dorothy Love, Cathy Richmond, Katie Ganshert, Jody Hedlund, Keli Gwyn, Allison Pittman, Bonnie Leon, Donna Pyle, Richard Mabry, Anne Lang Bundy . . . oh, the list goes on. Please know how much I appreciate you and how your comments have kept me going on many a tough day.
Finally, I need to thank some special people in my life:
Kathryn Pratt Russell and Josh Russell, for sending ridiculous photos and article links that made me laugh.
My parents. It’s a blessing that I still have both of them with me as this third novel goes to print. I’m glad they got to see me achieve this dream, warts and all!
My agent, Rachelle Gardner, who knows everything.
My horsey friends, Lee Thomas, Sayra Siverson Salter, and the vaulting community for being a place of refuge for me and a sanity saver.
And finally, to readers, who have also kept me going when things got really tough, with e-mails, letters of encouragement, and positive reviews that made me think it was all worthwhile. I have a special place in my heart for you. Thank you.
My humble thanks go most of all to the God who created me, saved me, and came looking for me. I know you wept and laughed with me during this five-year journey. May these books share your love.
About the Author
ROSSLYN ELLIOTT HAS A B.A. FROM YALE UNIVERSITY and a Ph.D. in English from Emory University. Her first novel, Fairer than Morning, was awarded the Romantic Times’ highest 41/2 star rating and was awarded the Laurel Award for 2011. She lives in the South, where she homeschools her daughter and works in children’s ministry.
To learn more, visit Rosslyn’s website:
www.RosslynElliott.com
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