William J. Castleman

William J Castleman
L367
1958-1985
1 mss box
Manuscripts & Rare Books Division
Indiana State Library

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Processed by: Philip N. Williams, 1999
Reprocessed by: Laura Williams, May 2012

Biographical Note:

William James Castleman, biographer of Myrtie Lillian Barker, was born January 5, 1908, in Indianapolis, the son of William Rodman and Rosa Pearl Stovall Castleman. His academic degrees (an A.B., 1954; an M.A., 1956; and M.Div., 1956) were from Butler University. He married Hazel Dessa Yater on December 6, 1931. The Castlemans had one daughter, Rosemary. Castleman became an accountant for the Conkle Funeral Home, Indianapolis, in 1931 and a minister of the Disciples of Christ in 1956. He edited both the Garden City News (1946-1962) and the Christian Communication Reporter (1962-1972). Castleman died in 1991.

Myrtie Lillian Barker, author, was born in Indianapolis on July 24, 1910, the daughter of Harry G. and Mary A. Bush Barker. She attended college classes at the Indiana University Extension Center in Indianapolis. She graduated from the Indianapolis Piano School in 1928. Barker’s first published work was a four-line poem submitted to the Junior Home Magazine shortly after Myrtie’s eleventh birthday. In her late 20s, she wrote a weekly column entitled “The Lighthouse” for the Sherdian News.  She became a columnist for The Indianapolis News in 1949, writing “My Window.” Her stories were published in Prairie Farmer, the Christian Herald, and the Christian Science Monitor. Her books included My Window—Parade of Days, I Am Only One, and Where is Everybody? Barker was an active member of the Women’s Press Club of Indiana, the National League of American Pen Women, and the National Federation of Press Women. In 1953, Barker received a citation for accomplishment from the Marion County Society for Crippled Children and Adults. She died on January 1, 1983.

Source: Information found within the collection.

Scope and Content Note:

The collection includes a typescript of Through Myrtie Barker’s Window, a biography written by Castleman, copyright 1985, and photocopies of materials related to Barker. Also included are photocopies of newspaper clippings dated from June 24, 1958, to March 1985, although most are undated. Photographs are mixed in with the text in later chapters.
Folder 1 contains “A Myrtie Baker Album,” a collection of photocopies of clippings which includes Barker’s first published work. The folder also contains three tables of contents for Castleman’s biography. The remainder of the collection contains typescript chapters of the work. Chapters 40 through 45 are not included in the collection.

Photocopying Policy:

Manuscript materials CANNOT be photocopied or digitized in their entirety. Photocopies and/or digital images cannot exceed 25% of a collection or a folder within a collection. In some cases, photocopying may not be permitted due to the condition of the item. Check with a Manuscript Librarian for other options.

Folder Listing:

1. “A Myrtie Baker Album,” Through Myrtie Barker’s Window, Table of Contents
2. Through Myrtie Barker’s Window , Chapters 1-9
3. Through Myrtie Barker’s Window, Chapters 10-15 
4. Through Myrtie Barker’s Window, Chapters 16-21
5. Through Myrtie Barker’s Window, Chapters 22-27
6. Through Myrtie Barker’s Window, Chapters 28-31
7. Through Myrtie Barker’s Window, Chapters 32-36
8. Through Myrtie Barker’s Window, Chapters 37-39 and 46              

Collection Information

Size of Collection: 1 mss box, 8 folders
Collection Dates: 1958-1985
Provenance: Unknown
Access : The collection is open for research use
Restrictions: None
Reproduction Rights: Permission to reproduce, exhibit, or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Manuscripts and Rare Books Division, Indiana State Library.
Language: Materials are entirely in English
Alternate Formats: None
Related Holdings: 
Notes: