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