LibGuides: W. Brent Burgin Archives: Rosemary Clark Whitlock Collection

Monacan Indian Nation

Collective Expressions of Monacan Indian Nation Identity: A Communicative Arts Genre Study
By Gretchen Casler-Cline, Liberty University

Resources

Rosemary Clark Whitlock Archives Collection
The majority of the items are about the Monacan Indian Nation of Amherst County, Va. Other materials are relative to the donor’s longtime residency in Lancaster, South Carolina. Research materials include correspondence, oral histories, photographs, maps, articles, reports, census data, pamphlets, programs, bulletins, and tribal newsletters. Areas of interest include genealogy, tribal histories and culture, relations with government entities and education.

The Monacan Indian Nation of Virginia: The Drums of Life by Rosemary Clark Whitlock; J. Anthony Paredes (Preface); Thomas John Blumer (Introduction)
Call Number: E 99 .M85 W55 2008
The contemporary Monacan Nation had approximately 1,400 registered members in 2006, mostly living in and around Lynchburg, Virginia, in Amherst County, but some are scattered like any other large family. Records trace the Monacans of Virginia back to the late 1500s, with an estimated population of over 15,000 in the 1700s.

Makin' Do by Rosemary Clark Whitlock
Call Number: CT 275 .W5519 A35 1983
A historical biography. Whitlock's parents, Frank and Dora Clark, taught her the basic values in life. It was Dora who said, "Makin' do means to do one's best with whatever abilities or opportunities one has." Meet this rural Virginia family in the friendly warmth of a log cabin whose door is always open to friends and strangers alike. Share with them the desire to make their own way and learn how they find the strength to dry their tears. Discover how they find beauty in little things and humor in everyday living. Join in the sibling rivalry and teasing. Sing along to the accompaniment of rollicking mountain music. Partake of hoecakes baked in hot ashes and spread with fresh-churned butter.
Mountain Home by Rosemary Clark Whitlock
Call Number: CT 275 .W55334 A3 1987
Whitlock tells of the struggles of a tenant farming family trying to wrest a living from the land. Hear the wisdom in Frank's philosophy of life. Empathize with Dora as she searches for self-identity in midlife. Grow up with tomboy Rosebud as she trys to find her way through adolescence. Agonize with her as she attempts to come to grips with suffering and death in the loss of a family member. Get to know the entire Clark family as the children grow up and have children of their own. These rural mountain folks of Irish-Indian-English ancestry are a self-taught, hardworking family, poor in material possessions but rich in values and tradition

After Tomorrow by Rosemary Clark Whitlock
Call Number: CT 275 .W55334 A38 1990
Autobiographical book following the Clark family of Virginia. From the mountains of Virginia to the flatlands of South Carolina and across the sea, Whitlock writes of days gone by in this continuation of Makin' Do and Mountain Home.
Golden Nuggets by Rosemary Clark Whitlock
Call Number: PS 3573 .H498 G6 1992

Rosemary Viola Clark Whitlock

Mrs. Rosemary Viola Clark Whitlock, 94, widow of Kenneth Hylton Whitlock, passed away Sunday, January 12, 2020. She was born January 8, 1926 in Selma, Virginia, a daughter of the late Frank Calvin Clark and Dora Branham Clark. Mrs. Whitlock was an author, poet and homemaker. She was a member of Second Baptist Church and served on various community committees.

A service to celebrate the life of Mrs. Whitlock will be held Sunday, January 19, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. at Second Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Brian Saxon officiating.

Mrs. Whitlock is survived by two daughters and two sons and their spouses, Sherry W. Knight (Carl), Katherine W. Thompson (Michael), Dr. Gregory K. Whitlock (Pamela) and Brent K. Whitlock (Kim); two grandsons; four granddaughters; and twelve great grandchildren. In addition to her parents and husband, Mrs. Whitlock was preceded in death by two brothers and six sisters, Harry Clark, Alfred Clark, Elena Herron (Lawrence), Carrie Mahaney (Lewis), Dorothea Haidmon (George), Frances Barker (John), Mildred Torrence (Kermit), Carolyn Dixon; and a granddaughter, Ashley Knox.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Saturday, 18, 2020 at Lancaster Funeral Home and other times at the home of Katherine W. Thompson.

Memorial contributions may be made to Second Baptist Church, 1426 Great Falls Highway, Lancaster, SC 29720 or to the Lancaster County Library. Lancaster Funeral Home & Cremation Service is serving the family of Mrs. Whitlock.

Rosemary Whitlock was a researcher, author, poet, and independent scholar. At the age of 19, she discovered that her mother was a Monacan Indian. Despite entreaties, her mother would tell her little concerning her Indian heritage. Virginia’s Native Americans suffered greatly during the time of the state’s infamous Racial Integrity Law and often moved far away, hoping to pass for white and start over. Indian heritage was to be hidden and not discussed.

Rosemary has written three autobiographical works, recounting the experiences of her family, the Clark’s of Virginia. Later in life, wishing to honor her mother, she visited the Monacan’s, gained their trust and published a series of oral-history interviews with her people. Her auto-ethnography, The Drums of Life: The Monacan Indian Nation of Virginia, is an important sourcebook for the Monacan Indian Nation. Rosemary was a long time resident of Lancaster, South Carolina; and was an engaged community advocate. She wrote many columns for The Lancaster News and published many letters to the editor.