Well Known Women

It is unusual that more women residents of Alderson have attracted fame or attention than men. One reason is that Alderson is the location of a famed woman’s prison. Elsewhere in this history are recounted facts about Miss Emma Alderson, Dr. Mary B. Harris, Tokyo Rose, Axis Sally, Edith Gurley Flynn, and other women. The last three women named were prisoners and certainly did not engage in any community activity but they lived here and had Alderson in the headlines across the nation.

A woman who probably has known more of the world's great over a longer period of time than anyone now living is Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louisa Smith, better known as "Bricktop" Smith. She was born in Alderson and spent here childhood here.  Her step-father operated a barber shop located between the present Methodist Church and the old Alderson National Bank building, and the Smith family lived there. "Barber" Smith whose first name is not known was a well-liked hunch-backed Negro.  His wife, Hattie, an expert seamstress, will be remembered by the older generation as she constantly went about in her old age with a poodle dog, and was a woman of unusual appearance. According to local information, when Barber Smith died Mrs. Smith took little Ada to Chicago,  where Mrs. Smith opened a boarding house patronized by theatrical clientele. There Ada, or "Bricktop" as she was nicknamed, learned some entertainment lore.

Recently Robert C. Ruark, nationally known columnist and author, wrote a lengthy article a bout "Bricktop".  Ruark says red-headed freckle-faced "Bricktop" was the Queen of Paris in the roaring 20's, where in 1924 she opened a world famous club in which she sang many songs in fractured French, smoked big black cigars, and could drink all the brandy customers would buy her.  To her place came the world's great, the kings, the queens, the writers, composers, poets, the politicians, the rich, the big business men.  "Bricktop's" place was chic and the place to go.  Ruark said "Bricktop" told him she judge the success of a night by the number of kings in the house.  One night she had five kings and the Prince of Wales.

In 1951 she left Paris for Rome and there she became equally successful.  To her place near Hotel Excelsior came the resident Romans, the tourists, and the foreign colony.  Ada Smith has become a Catholic convert, and is devout.  She has been very active in charities for Italian orphans.  The last three Popes knew "Bricktop" and granted here semi-private audiences.

Ruark says that now "Bricktop's" liver is going back on here, and she is tired of staying up all night. She must be more that 75.  Besides, kings and queens are getting scarce, so "Bricktop" has closed up here Roman place.  She plans to return to the United States and open a small cocktail lounge in New Your probably, or San Francisco, and go to bed early.

One of Alderson’s famous women was Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller. She had fine literary talent yet deliberately set out to write the most "sensational" fiction of her time, solely for money. She succeeded.

Mittie Frances Clark Point was born in Virginia before the Civil War, in a family of ten children. She was graduated from Richmond Female Institute at nineteen, where she was considered talented in literary work. She married Thomas Jefferson Davis and lived in Washington for a time. There she began writing. Her first novel was Rosamond which sold for $100.00. Her husband and little daughter died in Washington. For a time Mrs. Davis earned $5.00 per week writing a syndicated letter on the actions of Congress. This was hard work for the money, so she returned to her father’s home.

In 1878 she married Alex McVeigh Miller. They lived at Hawk’s Nest briefly and then tried farming in Nicholas County. Then they returned to Miller’s parent’s home in Alderson where their first daughter, Irene, was born. (Irene Miller Chainey died recently and is buried in Alderson.)

After two years Alex was given ten acres of land by his father on which they built a small house which they lacked money to complete. Then Mrs. Miller decided she would return to writing. No fine prose or poetry for her. She read the most sensational stuff she could find until she had mastered the cheap style. Her first "dime novel", actually sold for 15 cents, was Bride of the Tomb. The first editor to whom she sent the story paid her $20.00 for each installment. This put her in the serial story business and soon she was under contract to three weekly papers: New York Weekly, New York Family Story Paper, and New York Fireside Companion. She had a long contract with New York Fireside Companion for $1,200.00 per story and later $2,000.00. She wrote three novels for F. M. Lupton Publications. Some of her poems and stories appeared in The Greenbrier Independent. Mrs. Miller liked poetry but there was not enough money in it.

She had two sons, McVeigh and Lawrence, and all three of the children were graduated from West Virginia University with honors.

Money was coming in. The small house was enlarged and a beautiful home, The Cedars, was built. Mr. Miller took charge of her money and his management was not always wise. Mrs. Miller achieved her goal — money. She and her husband separated and never lived together again. She and her daughter Irene, lived in Boston, and later in Washington for years after the separation.

In all, Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller wrote 80 novels, more than 100 poems and numerous short stories. In the West Virginia Department of Archives and History a shelf about five feet long holds her work. It is not even catalogued. The lurid, sensational stuff is not literature and no one knew it better than its author who said after earning almost $100,000.00 with her pen, "The most urgent of all incentives to a career is — poverty." Considering the time in which Mrs. Miller wrote, with no income tax to pay, she earned a large fortune. The most popular novel she wrote was The Senator's Bride.

Ref: West Virginia Review, V. Vll, No. 2, April, 1930, p. 202, "A Weaver of Romances" by Ethel Clark Lewis. West Virginia Archives, Charleston

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The contents contained in this series is copyrighted and the sole property of The Greenbrier Historical Society - Lewisburg, WV
Used by permission - November 18, 2008