Seven children were born to a poor couple in Ohio. The father was a Civil War veteran dubbed "The Major" who spent his time telling war stories and playing his coronet in the village band. The mother was a quiet hardworking housewife who took in washing, held the family together, and died at age 43. The children all attended the local school. The family wasn't remarkable except the oldest son, Carl, who exhibited an ability to draw. The third child, Sherwood was ambitious. Called "Jobby," he sold newspapers and did odd jobs all over town. After the death of the mother, the children left the small town but the town remained with them.
This non-fiction narrative begins in March 1884 when the Irwin Anderson family moves to Clyde, Ohio, and ends in May 1956 with the death of Karl. The book touches on their boyhood adventures with pals, Henry Bardshar who became a Rough Rider and aide to Teddy Roosevelt and Cliff Paden who changed his name to John Emerson, becoming the influential President of Actor's Equity, a noted producer, and also husband of Anita Loos. It describes the struggles and successes of Karl, as well as Sherwood, along with their concern for their youngest brother Earl. Though very different, the boys respected and influenced each other.
The steadfast Karl would put down roots in the artists' colony of Westport Connecticut, with his wife and children, while Sherwood wandered restlessly and married four times. Karl's career took him from art school to Giverny, France, involvement with the 1913 Armory show, and a career as a sought-after illustrator and painter of portraits, becoming in later life a beloved painting teacher and the "Dean of Westport Artists." He exhibited widely, earning prizes for his work and placement in museums across the nation. The book touches on his relationships with artists of the day, Frederik Frieseke, Robert Henri, John Sloan, Arthur Dove and George Bellows, to name a few.
The narrative covers Sherwood's career from the Spanish American War through his paint factory in Elyria to the writing of Winesburg, Ohio, and other novels, as well as his death. It includes his relationships with leading writers and artists of the day, some introduced by his brother, Karl.
While the world changed, the village remained essentially the same as when the Anderson brothers left it in 1900. They returned infrequently, but the village was always in the background of their lives and memory.
