John Harvey Whitson

Born in Seymour, Indiana, on December 28, 1854, John Harvey Whitson was an American author, minister, and teacher. Northern Illinois University’s Beadle and Adams reference notes that he was the son of Aaron F. Whitson and Tacy McNamee, attended Seymour High School, later studied law, and was admitted to the Indiana bar before turning more fully toward writing and religious work.

Whitson wrote extensively for popular fiction publishers in the late nineteenth century, including Beadle and Adams, and he also used pseudonyms. Later, he published novels under his own name, with titles such as Barbara, a Woman of the West, The Rainbow Chasers, The Castle of Doubt, and Justin Wingate, Ranchman. Records collected by The Online Books Page and Project Gutenberg show that his work ranged from juvenile fiction to Western and adventure stories.

He died on March 2, 1936. Though he is not widely known today, Whitson’s career offers a vivid look at the path from fast-paced dime-novel writing to more expansive popular fiction about the American West.