Jane Kessler Essay Contest 2025

Many unique and fascinating Hoosiers are connected to Montgomery County. County students are to choose one of the Montgomery County community members from the list below. Research the person’s life and share information that makes it unique and important to our county's history. Then, identify the significance to our local, state, or national communities. The essay should be 250 - 500 words, typed or printed neatly, and submitted on or before March 21st, 2025.

Photograph of Wilbur and Sidney de Paris. Courtesy of Gottlieb, William P. Portrait of Wilbur de Paris and Sidney de Paris, Onyx, New York, N.Y., July 1947.

Wilbur and Sidney de Paris

During the 1940s and 1950s, Wilbur (1900-1973) and Sidney (1905-1967) de Paris of Crawfordsville, Indiana, played a vital role in rejuvenating traditional New Orleans jazz. They helped create a music style known as “New New Orleans” jazz, which blended the Dixieland genre with elements of swing—a progressive twist that revitalized the traditional sounds of New Orleans while adapting to the era’s evolving jazz landscape. The de Paris Brothers collaborated with jazz legends, such as Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Duke Ellington, and Jelly Roll Morton, cementing their status within the broader jazz community. The de Paris Brothers legacy in the jazz world is marked by their dedication to honoring the genre’s origins and ensuring its continued growth and relevance through their “New New Orleans” jazz, which played an instrumental role in the rebirth of traditional New Orleans jazz with a tune that reflected a new era.

Primary Sources:
- Robinson, Dick. “Dixieland Trombonist Was City Native: Death of Jazz Great Draws Little Notice.” Crawfordsville Journal Review, p.1, January 18, 1973.
  - Location: Crawfordsville District Public Library Workroom-- DeParis Family File.
Secondary Sources:
- Stevens, John D. “I was a Trooper at the Age of Six: The State Department Named this Crawfordsville Jazz Artist and his Combo for a Sponsored Tour.” The Indianapolis Star Magazine, March 5, 1961.
  - Location: Crawfordsville District Public Library Adult Services Workroom--DeParis Family File.
- Larkin, Colin. The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, p.654. Chester, CT: New England Pub. Associates, 1992.
  - Location: Crawfordsville District Public Library Adult Services Workroom-- DeParis Family File.
- Kernfeld, Barry Dean. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, p.284. London: Macmillan Press, April 14, 1990.
  - Location: Crawfordsville District Public Library Adult Services Workroom-- DeParis Family File.
- Kay, George W. “Wilbur De Paris and his New New Orleans Jazz,” p. 1, 3. Jazz Journal. (Unknown Publication Date)
  - Location: Crawfordsville District Public Library Adult Services Workroom-- De Paris Family File.

Janet Lambert

Born in Crawfordsville in 1893 to Francis and Mabel Lee Galey Snyder, Janet Lambert would grow to become one of the most prolific authors Crawfordsville has ever seen. Janet attended Crawfordsville High School and Ferry Hall School, a girl’s preparatory school in Lake Forest, Illinois. Upon graduation, she headed to New York to pursue an acting career and made it to Broadway, where she met her future husband, Craig Kent Lambert. Lambert's writing career began by telling bedtime stories to her daughters, and when her children had grown, she would put those stories to paper, with her first book, Star-Spangled Summer, being published in 1941. She would go on to publish 54 books from 1941-1969, entertaining and shaping the lives of her many adoring fans.

Photograph of Janet Lambert, taken by Roger Davidson. Courtesy of the Crawfordsville District Public Library.

Primary Sources:
- Schaeffer, Barbara. “Hoosier-Born Author Proves She’s Friend of Teen-Agers.” The Indianapolis Times. p.15, October 30, 1945. https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=IPT19451030.1.15&srpos=7&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-%22Janet+Lambert%22------ (the article is located at the top middle of page). (PDF version)
Secondary Sources:
- "LAMBERT, JANET SNYDER (MRS. KENT C.): 1894-1973." Indiana Authors and Their Books. https://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/inauthors/view?docId=encyclopedia/VAA5365-02.xml&brand=ia-books&brand=ia-books&freeformQuery=janet%20lambert&startDoc=1&chunk.id=ina-v2-entry-1438&toc.id=ina-v2-entry-1438
- "Janet Lambert." Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/117296.Janet_Lambert
- Zach, Karen Bazzani. Crawfordsville: Athens of Indiana. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing Company, 2003, p 103. http://ingenweb.org/inmontgomery/bios%20l/--lambert---janet-.html
Other sources can be found at the Crawfordsville District Public Library Local History Department-- Janet Lambert File.

Mahlon Dickerson Manson

During the American Civil War (1861-1865), Brigadier General Mahlon Dickerson Manson of Crawfordsville, Indiana, led the triumphant 10th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, who fought in famous battles such as the Battle of Chickamauga (1863) and the Atlanta Campaign (1864). After the Civil War, Manson served in the United States House of Representatives from 1871-1873, and the 20th Lieutenant Governor of the State of Indiana from 1885 to 1886. Manson’s historical legacy lies in his service to Montgomery County and the United States of America through his leadership in the Union Army during the American Civil War and in politics.

Photograph of Gen. Mahlon D. Manson. Courtesy of Cain, Stephanie. “People Lew Knew: Mahlon D. Manson, Crawfordville General.” General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, June 28, 2013.

Primary Sources:
- “Mahlon D. Manson.” The Crawfordsville Weekly Journal, Vol. 53, No. 6, February 8, 1895. Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana’s Digital Historic Newspaper Program. https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=CWJ18950208.1.1&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-Mahlon+D.+Manson------ (PDF Version)
Secondary Sources:
- Cain, Stephanie. “People Lew Knew: Mahlon D. Manson, Crawfordville General.” General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, June 28, 2013. https://www.ben-hur.com/people-lew-knew-mahlon-d-manson-crawfordsville-general/.
- “Manson, Mahlon Dickerson United States Congress. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/M000114.
- “Mahlon Dickerson Manson.” Crawfordsville, Indiana, Civil War Generals. Crawfordsville District Public Library.
  - Call Number: RL 973.7 Cra.
- Crecelius, Colonel O. L. “Five Generals: Crawfordsville’s Five Civil War Generals.” Montgomery County Remembers. Crawfordsville Ind.: Montgomery County Historical Society & Crawfordsville Bicentennial Committee, 1976.
- Paarlberg, Larry. Tidbit on Gen. Mahlon D. Manson. General Lew Wallace Study & Museum.
- Gronert, Theodore Gregory. Sugar Creek Saga: A History and Development of Montgomery County. Crawfordsville, Ind.: Wabash College, 1958.

Mariah Gates Patterson

In 1842, Mariah Gates Patterson, a former enslaved person, settled in Crawfordsville after enduring a journey from Kentucky to Indiana with her former owner Thomas Fry I, who relocated his family to Montgomery County, Indiana, to avoid tension in Mercer/Boyle County and find a good education for his sons at Wabash College. In 1847, Patterson founded the historic Bethel AME Church, located on West North Street, Crawfordsville, Indiana. Aside from teaching Sunday school at the Bethel AME, Patterson participated in the Underground Railroad, as she worked closely with John Speed to ensure the protection of enslaved people. In 1929, Mariah Gates Patterson passed away, leaving a legacy in the Montgomery County/Crawfordsville community by founding and serving her community through the Bethel AME Church, and assisting local conductors in the Underground Railroad.

Photograph of Mariah Gates Patterson. Courtesy of “Mariah Gates Patterson.” Abolition in Montgomery County.

Will Shortz

Born August 26, 1952, William F. Shortz was born on a horse farm in Crawfordsville. From an early age, Will was drawn to puzzles, a passion that would stay with him through his childhood years growing up in Crawfordsville. In 1974, Will graduated from Indiana University and is the only person known to hold a college degree in enigmatology, the study of puzzles. Shortz rose to fame when he was hired by the New York Times in 1993 to be their puzzle editor, a post he holds to this day.

Photograph of Will Shortz. Courtesy of https://willshortz.com/

Primary Sources:
- "Will Shortz". https://willshortz.com/
Secondary Sources:
- "Will Shortz." University Honors and Awards. Indiana University. https://honorsandawards.iu.edu/awards/honoree/1059.html
- "Perspective: Getting to Know the Puzzlemaster, Will Shortz." NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/01/05/1214755852/perspective-getting-to-know-the-puzzlemaster-will-shortz
- Maynes-Aminzade, Liz. "Will Shortz's Life In Crosswords." The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/will-shortzs-life-in-crosswords

Maurine Dallas Watkins

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1896. When Maurine was 11, she moved with her family to Crawfordsville. When she arrived in Crawfordsville, she began putting on plays and began her writing career. At Crawfordsville High School, she started a newspaper and was active in local clubs and organizations. After graduating from Crawfordsville High School, she attended several Colleges before graduating first in her class from Butler University. After graduating from Butler, she would pursue graduate school but would leave before graduating to pursue her writing career. She would find herself at the Chicago Tribune, where she would cover court trials, giving her the inspiration for her most famous play, Chicago. The play Chicago was written while Maurine was attending Yale School of Drama. Maurine would write 20 plays in her career, but Chicago was her most successful, making her a millionaire.

Photograph of Maurine Watkins. Courtesy of News-Journal (Mansfield, Ohio), December 14, 1928, accessed on Newspapers.com

Primary Sources:
- “Sunshine Society Pamphlet” CDPL (PDF Version)
- 1914 Crawfordsville High School Graduation Ceremony CDPL (PDF Version)
Secondary Sources:
- Poletika, Nicole. "Maurine Dallas Watkins: Sob Sisters, Pretty Demons, and All That Jazz." Indiana Historical Bureau. https://blog.history.in.gov/maurine-dallas-watkins-sob-sisters-pretty-demons-and-all-that-jazz/
- Schiff, Judith. "How Yale begat Chicago." Yale Alumni Magazine. https://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/articles/3439
- "Maurine Dallas Watkins." Chicagology. https://chicagology.com/newspapers/chicagotribune/maurinewatkins/
- "Maurine Dallas Watkins." History Matters: Celebrating Women's Plays of the Past. https://www.historymatterscelebratingwomensplaysofthepast.org/playwrights/view/Maurine-Dallas-Watkins