The chronology below was constructed at the request of Ervin Beck for this issue. No chronology of Papa’s life existed prior to this. The nine remaining Lindsay siblings searched for press and correspondence relating to Papa’s work as an artist and historian. His careers in building and the trades were included because his work there was central to his personae as an artist. We used documents to create a factual framework for this chronology We believe this chronology to be largely accurate. Our parents were grateful for the community they found through Goshen College. In the year or two prior to her death, Mama opined that “Mennonites make such good friends.” My siblings and I hope to honor this connection through this effort.
--The Lindsay Sibs #1 and 3-11
NICHOLAS CAVE LINDSAY
|
1927 |
Sept |
Spokane WA |
Born to Nicholas Vachel and Elizabeth Conner Lindsay |
|
1928 |
Spokane WA |
||
|
1929 |
April |
Springfield IL |
Moves back to family home |
|
1930 |
Springfield IL |
||
|
1931 |
Dec |
Springfield IL |
Father dies |
|
1932 |
Oakland CA |
E. Conner Lindsay works as secretary at Mills College Fine Arts Department. |
|
|
1933 |
Oakland CA |
||
|
1934 |
Oakland CA |
E. Conner Lindsay gains her M.A. from Mills College while teaching English there |
|
|
1935 |
Sept Sept |
Washington DC Fairhope AL |
E. Conner Lindsay appointed Dean of King-Smith Studio School Attends Marietta Johnson Organic School of Education with sister |
|
1936 |
Fairhope AL |
Attends Marietta Johnson Organic School of Education with sister |
|
|
1937 |
July Sept |
Nantucket CT New York NY |
Struck by vehicle while riding bicycle. Goes into coma. In Nantucket Cottage Hospital for 2 months. Transferred to the Hospital for the Relief of the Ruptured and Crippled in New York City. Spends 7 months there. |
|
1938 |
April June Sept |
Nantucket Croton on Hudson NY |
Spends summer recovering. E. Conner Lindsay appointed headmistress of Oxford School Hartford CT Attends Hessian Hills School with sister |
|
1939 |
Croton on Hudson NY |
Attends Hessian Hills School with sister/ E. Conner Lindsay living in Hartford CT |
|
|
1940 |
Croton on Hudson NY |
Attends Hessian Hills School with sister.. Mentored by Ralph Mann, Shop teacher and maintenance man. E. Conner Lindsay living in Hartford CT |
|
|
1941 |
Sept |
Hartford CT Willimantic CT |
E Conner Lindsay living in Highland Street West Hartford CT Attends Windham High School with sister |
|
1942 |
Sept |
Andover CT Willimantic CT |
Moved to Bunker Hill Road, Andover Connecticut. Attends Windham High School Makes highest score in US on National Biology test E. Conner Lindsay appointed Dean of Women and Head of Literature Department at Hillyer College, Hartford CT |
|
1943 |
Hartford CT |
Starts first paying job: bench operator at Union Drawn Steel Mill. United Steelworkers of America Shop Treasurer |
|
|
1944 |
Aug- Dec |
Hartford CT Chapel Hill NC Chapel Hill NC |
Steelworkers strike. Travels to NC. Awarded Kay Keyser Scholarship for Dramatic Art at Chapel Hill |
|
1945 |
Jan Mar Apr |
Chapel Hill NC Chapel Hill NC |
Involved in radio program “Voice of the press” Marries Frances DuBose Registers for Army but was not enlisted |
|
1946 |
June July |
Chapel Hill NC Berkeley CA Oakland CA Oakland CA |
Frances Lindsay graduates with Bachelor of Arts Degree Couple buy a Harley Davidson motorcycle and cross country to the west coast Lived on boat (the Mischief) in Berkeley yacht harbour Birth of first child Performs ballads at celebration of Americana at Mills College |
|
1947 |
Oct. |
Berkeley Camden SC |
Freight handler for Southern Pacific Railroad (Freight Handlers Union) Stamford Electrical Engineering Birth of second child Family travels to Annapolis MD |
|
1948 |
Annapolis MD |
Worked as mechanic at Annapolis Buick. Attended Naval Academy for Engineering |
|
1949 |
Aug |
Columbia SC Columbia SC |
Attended University of SC Birth of third child |
|
1950 |
June Aug Sep |
Old Fort NC Old Fort NC |
Graduates from University of SC B.A. in Modern Languages (Spanish and French) Birth of 4th child Teaching Mathematics, English and Geography at Old Fort High School |
|
1951 |
Aug |
Augusta GA |
Moves to Augusta GA. to begin job at Savannah River Plant (Dupont Corp.) United Brotherhood of Carpenters |
|
1952 |
Feb |
Augusta GA Augusta GA Aiken SC |
Living at Floyd Road Birth of 5th child Involved with the Augusta Players Carpenters Union. Form carpenter Carpenter on building of the Hydrogen Bomb Project Savannah River Plant (Dupont) |
|
1953 |
July |
North Augusta SC North Augusta SC |
Birth of 6th child Ads on radio for Wild Yankee Builder Builds Harshberger house |
|
1954 |
Aug |
North Augusta SC |
Continues building houses and boats. E. Conner Lindsay dies in Cambridge MA |
|
1955 |
Spring Sept |
Edisto Island SC |
Arrive on Edisto, Starts building family home on Peters Point Road Repairs churches, houses and boats 7th child dies in childbirth Is baptised and becomes a member of the Presbyterian Church |
|
1956 |
Edisto Island SC |
Moves in to and continues to build house and workshop. Establishes Edisto Boat Works Helps register African-Americans to vote |
|
|
1957 |
Edisto Island SC |
Continuing to build Peters Point Road house, entire family helping. |
|
|
1958 |
Feb |
Charleston SC |
Birth of 8th child Teaching high school in SC |
|
1959 |
Edisto Island SC |
Hurricane Gracie: works repairing damage |
|
|
1960 |
Hanahan SC Edisto Island SC |
Teaching at Hanahan High School Teaching himself Russian on way to school and at home Gets African Americans to the voting stations |
|
|
1961 |
Summer Autumn |
New York NY New York NY Edgewater NJ |
Awarded fellowship in Russian Studies at Columbia University Lived in Manhattan and the Bronx. Teaches shop at George Washington Elementary School and Eleanor Van Gelder Junior High |
|
1962 |
April April April April June June Summer Sept |
San Francisco CA San Francisco CA Napa Valley CA San Jose Edgewater NJ San Francisco CA San Francisco CA New York NY |
Poetry Performance at SF Poetry Centre Poetry Performance at SF Museum of Art Poetry Performance at Napa High School Poetry Performance at San Jose State College Poetry performance for Eleanor Van Gelder Junior High students Performs at State Poetry Festival SF Museum of Art (Shared poetry prize with Brother Antonius) Intensive Russian immersion Radio Performance Return to Topping Avenue Bronx Teaches at Stuyvesant HS Works as a carpenter (non-union residential) Teacher’s Union strike in NYC |
|
1963 |
Summer Sept |
Edisto Island SC |
Return to Edisto Teaches at St Pauls HS Yonges Island SC |
|
1964 |
June July Autumn |
Morgantown W VA Morgantown W VA Edisto Island |
Attends University of West Virginia for Russian and French Birth of 9th child Teaches at St Pauls HS Yonges Island SC |
|
1965 |
May July |
Edisto Island Detroit MI Hillsdale MI |
Teaches at St Pauls HS Yonges Island SC Reads at the 19th Modern Poetry Week Wayne State University Writes humorous criticism of contemporary poetry for Mad River Review Hillsdale College- poetry/performance |
|
1966 |
May Autumn Winter |
Edisto Island SC Edisto Island SC Bloomington IN |
Teaches at St Pauls HS Yonges Island SC Birth of 10th child Fellowship in Linguistics at Indiana University (French and Russian) Quits fellowship and works at Dr Pepper Plant |
|
1967 |
Nov |
Bloomington IN Bloomington IN Springfield IL Montreat NC Wilmington DE |
Works as electrician at Alexander Electric (non-union) Poetry performance Poetry performance Poetry performance at Montreat-Anderson College Records Vachel Lindsay Poetry for Caedmon Records Poetry recital at Mt Pleasant High School |
|
1968 |
Bloomington IN |
Works as electrician at Alexander Electric. Unsuccessfully attempts to organize workers to be accepted by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers as a Union Shop. |
|
|
1969 |
May Autumn Sept |
Goshen IN Goshen IN Palatine IL Goshen IN |
First performance given at Goshen College Assistant Professor of English and Resident Poet at Goshen College Presents program of poetry and song at Harper College Establishes Pinchpenny Press Publishes “Esau Lanier” and “Prince of Glory, Prince of Darkness” (Pinchpenny Press) |
|
1970 |
April Nov Dec |
Goshen IN Palatine IL Goshen IN South Bend IN Carpentersville IL |
Assistant Professor of English and Resident Poet at Goshen College Recites poetry at Harper College Birth of 11th child Reads poetry at Indiana University Published in Rhetoric of NO (Holt, Reinhardt & Winston) |
|
1971 |
Oct Dec |
Goshen IN Goshen IN Goshen IN Bluffton OH |
Assistant Professor of English and Resident Poet at Goshen College Runs Edisto Island Colloquium at Goshen College - students translating oral histories of island residents from Gullah to English Publishes an anthology of student writing (Pinchpenny Press) Performs at Bluffton College Published in ”Since the feeling is first” Meclenberger & Simmons |
|
1972 |
Jan May |
Goshen IN Goshen IN Chicago IL South Bend IN |
Assistant Professor of English and Resident Poet at Goshen College Publishes student anthology of poetry and essays (Pinchpenny Press) Interviewed for “Poets speak their piece” on WGCS FM Interview in Working by Studs Terkel (Random House) Poetry and Performance Publishes “Sweat, Bread and Money” and “Words and the School” (Pinchpenny Press) Built a 12’ long boat in living room of 1619 S 9th from salvaged barn timber at site of Peddler’s Village |
|
1973 |
Goshen IN |
Assistant Professor of English and Resident Poet at Goshen College Publishes “To Heidi’s House” by Barbara Mosemann (Pinchpenny Press) Publishes “The tree with the Broken Rim” and “Madonna of the Brickbats” (Pinchpenny Press) |
|
|
1974 |
Goshen IN |
Assistant Professor of English and Resident Poet at Goshen College Wall Street Journal Review of Working describes Nick Lindsay as “a Thoreauvian voice at the edge of the counterculture” |
|
|
1975 |
Feb April Nov |
Goshen IN Notre Dame IN Salina KS |
Assistant Professor of English and Resident Poet at Goshen College Featured in “Arts and Artists” Program on Cablevision’s cable channel 2 Performs at Literary Festival at Notre Dame University with Robert Bly and Lawrence Ferlinghetti Performs at Kansas Wesleyan University Publishes “An Oral History of Edisto Island Sam Gadsden Tells the Story” and “Hope is a Condor” (Pinchpenny Press) |
|
1976 |
Goshen IN |
Assistant Professor of English and Resident Poet at Goshen College |
|
|
1977 |
Feb Sept Sept |
Goshen IN Goshen IN Edisto Island SC |
Resource poet for 3-day Poetry Seminar Workshop at Goshen College Publishes “The Life and Times of Bubberson Brown” (Pinchpenny Press) Licenced electrician SC |
|
1978 |
Edisto Island SC Charleston SC New Market TN |
Performance with Robert Bly Performance at Highlander Research and Education Centre Begins building 72-foot long shrimp boat for Jimmy Bell |
|
1979 |
Mar Nov |
Goshen IN France Springfield IL Maryville TN Goshen IN |
3-day Writers’ workshop at Goshen College with Jack Duek European tour 1: Sorbonne Nouvelle, American Embassy Cultural Centre, University of Strasbourg, Convention of European Americanists lecturing on Gullah and Creole and its West African Linguistic and cultural connections Performances - City of Springfield, State of Illinois, Vachel Lindsay Society Vachel Lindsay Festival at Maryville College 100th anniversary of Vachel Lindsay’s birth celebration |
|
1980 |
April June |
Flagstaff AZ Window Rock AZ Columbia SC Elkhart IN |
Presents “Jungles of Heaven” at Northern Arizona University Navajo Nation shows at Window Rock HS and other locations Performance at E. Morris Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment Centre Performance at the Sideboard Restaurant |
|
1981 |
March |
“Lucander, C-Flex are ‘Godfather’ of Shrimp Trawler” published in The National Fisherman (about experience building Bell’s 72’ shrimp trawler) |
|
|
1982 |
March June |
Goshen IN Goshen IN |
3-day Writers’ workshop at Goshen College with Pamela Erbe “Polish romantics and American populists” at Goshen College with Waclaw Sadkowski Published Southern Exposure Vol X no 3 Stories from Edisto |
|
1983 |
North Charleston SC San Francisco CA San Francisco CA |
Teaches conversational Russian at Charleston Navy Base Guest lecturer of Angela Davis (Teacher of Community Studies) and Jack Fulton (Teacher of Photography) at San Francisco Art Institute Guest performance at Ancient Currents Art Gallery |
|
|
1984 |
Aug Oct |
Fresno CA Edisto Island SC New Salem IL Camden SC |
Poetry and performance at Fresno Pacific College Builds Edisto Island’s first Fire Station The Great American People Show at State Historic Site Mother in law Belle Easley DuBose dies |
|
1985 |
Edisto Island SC Springfield IL |
Builds 80-foot cabin cruiser La Belle Helene Poetry and performance |
|
|
1986 |
|||
|
1987 |
July |
Grantsville MD |
Performs old ballads, poetry and songs on old Appalachian instruments at the 10th Annual Penn Alps Summerfest and Quilt Show |
|
1988 |
Springfield IL |
Listen to Your Heart: The challenge of Vachel Lindsay directed by Bill and Dean Snider |
|
|
1989 |
France Switzerland UK |
European tour 2: Public Theatre Strasbourg, University of Orleans University Basel, University of Lausanne University of Essex |
|
|
1990 |
Sep Nov |
Edisto Island SC Springfield IL Llanrwst, Wales |
Draws and builds trawler Cap’n Gabe Builds ornamental patio for Sarah Lee’s twinkies millionaire Ornamental ironwork for David Lybrand’s Middleton residential development Rebuilds windows for Cypress Trees Plantation Mansion Starts work on font for Presbyterian Church (cypress wood with sterling silver basin) State acquires the Vachel Lindsay House, intends to restore it Death of sister Susan in Wales. Pallbearer at funeral. |
|
1991 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
1992 |
Jul Aug |
Edisto Island SC New Salem IL New Salem IL |
Finishes baptismal font for Presbyterian Church The Great American People Show at State Historic Site Performs the poetry of Vachel Lindsay at State Historic Site |
|
1993 |
Nov |
Edisto Island SC Goshen IN |
Performs at Goshen College |
|
1994 |
Edisto Island SC New York NY |
New City performances WBAI Radio Show; Oblique Strategies Nominated for a National Community Radio Award and a Community Public Radio Award “6 apparitions appear on a piano” co-production of Tribeca Lab and The Brecht Forum about Russian futurist poet Vladimir Mayakovsky |
|
|
1995 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
1996 |
Jan Feb |
Edisto Island SC Camden SC Woodstock VT |
Co-divisor of “Sea Island Elegy” Exhibit at Bassett Gallery and Fine Arts Centre Reads poetry of Vachel Lindsay as part of play “Gospel of Beauty” by the Three Winters Production Company at Woodstock Union High School |
|
1997 |
June |
Charleston SC |
“The Sky Blue Stallion” Piccolo Spoletto. Collaboration with Anonymity Dance Co. |
|
1998 |
June |
Charleston SC |
Piccolo Spoletto. Collaboration with Anonymity Dance Co. |
|
1999 |
Sept |
Due West SC Springfield IL |
Performs “Sea Island Elergy” at Bowie Arts Centre, Erskine College Performance and poetry |
|
2000 |
June |
Charleston SC |
Piccolo Spoleto. “A Bird Print” Collaboration with Louisa, Charlotte & Emily Lindsay Dock Street Theatre Courtyard Published “And I’m Glad: An Oral History of Edisto Island” Arcadia Publishing Published “Magnificent Storm” Pinchpenny Press |
|
2001 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2002 |
Edisto Island SC |
Consultant for the Film Standing in the Shadows of Motown |
|
|
2003 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2004 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2005 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2006 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2007 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2008 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2009 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2010 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2011 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2012 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2013 |
Edisto Island SC |
Publication of “The Fiery Serpent in the Wilderness” in “State of the Heart: South Carolina writers on the places they love” Aida Rogers (Editor) |
|
|
2014 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2015 |
Edisto Island SC |
||
|
2016 |
June June |
Edisto Island SC Charleston SC |
Death of wife Frances DuBose Lindsay Performs “Esau Lanier – A Sea Island Prince” at Piccolo Spoleto - Dock Street Theatre Courtyard |
|
2017 |
May Jun |
Goshen IN Statesboro GA |
Last visit to Goshen College. Performs an evening of poetry and song with Don Jost, Jeff Gundy, Julia Kasdorf Marries Beth Russell, moves to Statesboro GA |
|
2018 |
Statesboro GA |
||
|
2019 |
Jul |
Edisto Island |
Nick Sr and Jr collaborate on the reinterpretation of Chekov’s first play Ivanov |
|
2020 |
June |
Statesboro GA |
Dies |