David McCheyne Newell
Encyclopedia
David McCheyne Newell was an American journalist, novelist, and children's writer perhaps most famous for his books regarding early twentieth century rural life in western central Florida
. In If Nothin' Don't Happen and The Trouble of It Is the fictional narrator, Billy Driggers, tells true-to-life stories about the people of Florida's Gulf Hammock (the coastal land between Cedar Key and the Withlacoochee River
) and the surrounding environs during the interwar years. Earlier writings included The Fishing and Hunting Answer Book, illustrated by Lynn Bogue Hunt, a children's book titled American Animals, "Cougars and Cowboys" (New York. The Century Co., 1927) and numerous short stories and articles.
A naturalist and lifelong hunter, he was also for several years editor of Field and Stream and hosted a nature and hunting show during the early years of television in the 1950s. He accompanied Annie Oakley
on hunting trips when she wintered in Florida before her death in 1926. He also befriended fellow Florida author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Newell moved to Leesburg, Florida
in 1912. He studied at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri
, enlisting in the United States Army
in his junior year. After studying visual arts at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts
, Newell went on to become a working journalist and illustrator, writing and creating art for dozens of publications including Life
, Field and Stream, Boys' Life
, The Saturday Evening Post
, the New York Herald-Tribune and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
.
Newell is buried at the cemetery of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Fruitland Park, Florida
next to his first wife, Frances Bosanquet Newell, with whom he had three daughters. Many of Newell's paintings and letters can be seen at the Leesburg Heritage Museum, in Leesburg, FL, not far from his former home.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. In If Nothin' Don't Happen and The Trouble of It Is the fictional narrator, Billy Driggers, tells true-to-life stories about the people of Florida's Gulf Hammock (the coastal land between Cedar Key and the Withlacoochee River
Withlacoochee River (South)
The Withlacoochee River originates in central Florida's Green Swamp, east of Polk City. It flows west, then north, and then turns northwest and finally west again before it empties into the Gulf of Mexico near Yankeetown. The river is long and has a drainage basin of...
) and the surrounding environs during the interwar years. Earlier writings included The Fishing and Hunting Answer Book, illustrated by Lynn Bogue Hunt, a children's book titled American Animals, "Cougars and Cowboys" (New York. The Century Co., 1927) and numerous short stories and articles.
A naturalist and lifelong hunter, he was also for several years editor of Field and Stream and hosted a nature and hunting show during the early years of television in the 1950s. He accompanied Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley , born Phoebe Ann Mosey, was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's amazing talent and timely rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar.Oakley's most famous trick is perhaps...
on hunting trips when she wintered in Florida before her death in 1926. He also befriended fellow Florida author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was an American author who lived in rural Florida and wrote novels with rural themes and settings. Her best known work, The Yearling, about a boy who adopts an orphaned fawn, won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1939 and was later made into a movie, also known as The...
.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Newell moved to Leesburg, Florida
Leesburg, Florida
Leesburg is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 15,956 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 19,086.. Leesburg is located in central Florida, between Lake Harris and Lake Griffin, at the head of the Oklawaha River system....
in 1912. He studied at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, enlisting in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in his junior year. After studying visual arts at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts
Saint Louis Art Museum
The Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the principal U.S. art museums, visited by up to a half million people every year. Admission is free through a subsidy from the cultural tax district for St. Louis City and County.Located in Forest Park in St...
, Newell went on to become a working journalist and illustrator, writing and creating art for dozens of publications including Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, Field and Stream, Boys' Life
Boys' Life
Boys' Life is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America . Its targeted readership is young American males between the ages of 6 and 18.Boys' Life is published in two demographic editions...
, The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
, the New York Herald-Tribune and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
.
Newell is buried at the cemetery of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Fruitland Park, Florida
Fruitland Park, Florida
Fruitland Park is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,186 at the 2000 census. The Census Bureau estimated the population in 2008 to be 4,293. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
next to his first wife, Frances Bosanquet Newell, with whom he had three daughters. Many of Newell's paintings and letters can be seen at the Leesburg Heritage Museum, in Leesburg, FL, not far from his former home.