Background
Full Name: Rowena Josephine Vanderbilt
Date of Birth: April 15, 1856
Place of Birth: Charleston, South Carolina
Parents: Robert Joseph Vanderbilt, III; Amelia Marilyn Vanderbilt (nee Durham)
Siblings: Robert Joseph Vanderbilt, IV; Albert George Vanderbilt; Henry William Vanderbilt; Rosalyn Grace Vanderbilt
Robert and Albert are fraternal twins who are older than Rowena. Henry is her younger brother and Rosalyn, her only sister, is also younger than Rowena.
Important Events in Past: Studied abroad at Lady Chambliss’ Finishing School in Lyon, France, where I discovered a love for literature, writing, and journalism. After returning from Europe, I went to college at the Wesleyan College for Girls in Macon, Georgia. During my time at College I was first schooled in the powers that the women of my line were privy to and began studying the secrets of the occult along with my mother.
Biggest Fear/Nightmare: Having my alternate identity discovered and being revealed to my father. Being trapped in a boring life or a loveless marriage. Having my soul claimed by the Devil.
Where were you during the Great Quake (1868)? Being 14 at the time, I had just left Charleston for Lady Chambliss’ school.
Married? Good heavens, no!
Occupation: Newspaper Journalist and author of dime novels
How did you become a Muckraker? During my time at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, I became the editor of the collegiate newspaper. Although my mother quietly encouraged my writing, my father worried that it would get in the way of my finding a suitable husband and suggested that I forget my hobby. Instead, I took on the penname of R. J. Durham and began to submit articles to nearby newspapers in the hopes that they would accept them more readily if they came from a man. Once several of my articles got accepted and I began to make a living wage of my own accord, I took steps to further solidify the identity of Mr. Durham including hiring a solicitor – Mr. William H. Collins, Esq. – to handle his financial and contractual affairs. The only individuals who know that I am the actual author of Mr. Durham’s pieces are Mr. Collins, my mother, and I. All others believe that I am merely his secretarial assistant.
Goals:
Where are you going? Wherever the next great story takes me!
What are you doing? After a year of saving money from my writing, I have finally earned enough to go west and hopefully find more substantial stories to report upon. I am told that there is a great desire among the public for pieces regarding the “Wild West” and the characters that inhabit that region. It is my hope that I will be able to travel there, encounter persons of curiosity, find stories that will capture my audience’s interest, and perhaps have an adventure or two of my own. Hopefully I will one day be able to finish the novel I started a few years ago.
Soundtrack
“You are My Sunshine” – Norman Blake
“Just a Kiss” – Lady Antebellum
“Rhiannon” – Fleetwood Mac
“Let Me Touch You For a While” – Alison Krauss and Union Station
“Summertime” – Norah Jones
“Safe & Sound” – Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars
“Tip of my Tongue” – The Civil Wars
“One of These Nights” – The Eagles
“Witchy Woman” – The Eagles
“Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” – KT Tunstall
“American Honey” – Lady Antebellum
“Come Away With Me” – Norah Jones
“Dreams” – Fleetwood Mac
