Briney, Melville Otter (1899-1986) Papers, 1855-1986
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: Melville Otter Briney, 1899-1986
Title: Papers, 1855-1986
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.
Size of Collection: 0.66 Cubic Feet
Location Number: Mss./A/B858b
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Melville Otter Briney consist of Carter family personal correspondence (Briney’s maternal grandparents) ranging in date from 1855 to 1889, genealogical records, and a personal scrapbook. Briney, a columnist for the Louisville Times from 1949-1962, complied a family history scrapbook with numerous copies of her articles, photographs of her family, newspaper articles mentioning family members, and various memorabilia. Also included in the Briney Papers is genealogical information on the Carter family, as well as the Vertrees, Wortham, Rodgers, and Hackley families (Briney’s paternal lineage).
Biographical Note
Melville Wortham Otter Briney, born in Louisville in 1899 to one of the city’s most prominent families, was a columnist for the Louisville Times from 1949-1962. As a writer, Briney’s columns focused on reflections of Old Louisville from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Relying on her memories and the papers of her maternal grandparents, Briney’s wrote on topics such as Christmas traditions, the Cyclone of 1890, and her grandmother’s travels in Europe. She died in Louisville in 1986.
Her collected papers trace the ancestry of her paternal grandmother. In addition, she has limited information regarding her mother’s paternal ancestry.
Folder List
Folder 1: Carter Family – Personal Correspondence
Folder 2: Carter Family Genealogy – Correspondence and Papers
Folder 3: Vertrees Family Genealogy – Correspondence
Folder 4: Vertrees Family Genealogy – Miscellaneous
Folder 5: Nancy Vertrees Wortham Otter – Extended Genealogy
Folder 6: Miscellaneous
Folder 7: Scrapbook – Melville O. Briney Family History
Subject Headings
Briney, Melville Otter, 1899-1986
Carter family
Colonial Dames of America
Courtship – Kentucky
Etiquette for children and teenagers – Kentucky
Europe – Description and travel
Male High School (Louisville, Ky.)
Patriotic societies
Satellites of Mercury
Vassar College – History
Vertrees family
Wedding costume – Kentucky