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Newbery Honors: 1930 Vaino, a Boy of New Finland 1931 Mountains are Free

Julia Adams Davis (July 23, 1900-January 30, 1993) was an American writer for children and adults. Two of her historical novels for children, Vaino, A Boy of New Finland and Mountains are Free, received Newbery Honor awards. A native of the Shenandoah Valley in West Virginia, many of her books were based on the history of the region, including The Shenandoah, part of the Rivers of America series. She wrote over twenty books of fiction and non-fiction, including two mysteries under the pseudonym F. Draco. Adams' father, John W. Davis, was an important figure in the Wilson administration, and lost the 1924 United States Presidential election to Calvin Coolidge.

Life
Julia Adams Davis was born July 23, 1900 in Clarksburg, West Virginia to John W. Davis, an attorney and member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, and Julia Leavell (McDonald) Davis. Originally named Anna Kennedy after her maternal grandmother, when her mother died three weeks after giving birth Mr. Davis renamed her Julia McDonald.

Raised by her grandmother Davis, she recalled later that the Davis' were quite strict and she spent much time alone. Her father was an occasional visitor, and Davis recalled "He was always kindly, often abstracted, but I knew then, and I know still, that looking at me hurt his heart." Davis' first education came from her Grandmother Davis, who read Greek and Latin, then went to a private school in Clarksburg. She spent her summers on the farm of her maternal grandparents. Her grandfather, Major Edward A. H. McDonald, had been an officer in Jeb Stuart's cavalry, and he told her many stories that she later used in her books. Staying on the farm meant freedom for young Davis, with many children to play with and little supervision.

In 1912 Mr. Davis remarried, to Ellen G. Bassel. Davis believed that her stepmother was happier without her, and she continued to live with her grandparents. The next year her father became United States Solicitor General under Woodrow Wilson and he and his wife moved to Washington D. C. At fourteen Davis began attending the Shipley School for girls in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, later enrolling at Wellesley College in 1917. In 1918 her father went to Bern, Switzerland for a conference on the treatment and exchange of prisoners of war. During the conference the ambassador to Great Britain resigned, and President Wilson chose Mr. Davis to replace him. In fall of 1920 Davis and a friend visited her father in England, where she was presented to the court. While in England Davis met her future husband, Lieutenant William M. Adams, an Air Force attache attached to the American embassy. She wrote about her time in England in Legacy of Love and The Embassy Girls. After returning to the United States Davis transferred to Barnard College, graduating in 1922.

In 1923, Julia Davis married Adams and moved with him to Copenhagen, Denmark. In Copenhagen she met an artist who was illustrating the work of Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus. The artist needed someone to translated the stories into English, and Adams got the job. During that time her father accepted the Democratic nomination for President, losing to Calvin Coolidge in 1924. In 1926 Davis and her husband returned to the U. S. and she attempted to find a publisher for her book. Eventually Dutton's juvenile division offered her a contract if she would revise the stories for young adults. Looking for a way to pay the bills while she revised her book Adams became only the second woman employee at the Associated Press in New York City. She earned one quarter a word for writing special features. In 1927 Davis quit her job, going to Clarksburg to stay with her grandparents while she worked on her book. While she was there she met mystery writer Melville Davisson Post, who lived nearby. Post read the manuscript and gave her valuable advice. Sword of the Vikings appeared in 1928.

She was a children’s agent for the State Charities Aid Association from 1933-1938.

In 1951 and 1952 she published two Gothic mysteries under the pseudonym of F. Draco

she also headed the adoption service of the NYC Children's Aid Society in the early 1960's. She was chair of the child adoption service of the Children’s Aid Society from 1962-1965.

Her play, "The Anvil," was a re-creation of the trial of John Brown. Written as Charles Town's contribution to the Civil War centennial, it was an off-Broadway production in 1962.

more than twenty other books, primarily history and fiction.

Julia Davis Adams died January 30, 1993 at Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Ranson, W. Va. at 92. She lived in Charles Town, W. Va. She died of natural causes.

Mrs. Adams was the last surviving member of her immediate family. She was married four times, twice to William M. Adams, her first and last husband, who died two years ago. She is survived by three daughters and four sons of her other husbands: Mary Eaton Kerns; Erin Healy Sheffield; Sister Benedict, a Roman Catholic nun; William Jones; Paul West Jr., Timothy Healy and Ramon Sender.

Short bio and two recorded interviews: http://jimsurkamp.com/?page_id=10

Selected works

 * The Swords of the Vikings: Stories from the Works of Saxo Grammaticus, Retold by Julia Davis Adams, E.P. Dutton, 1928;
 * Vaino, a Boy of New Finland, E.P. Dutton, 1929;
 * Mountains are Free, E.P. Dutton, 1929;
 * Stonewall, Dutton, 1931;
 * Rivers of America: The Shenandoah, Farrar & Rinehart, 1945;
 * Legacy of Love, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1961;
 * The Anvil; The Trial of John Brown, a Two-act Drama, Harper & Row, 1962;
 * A Valley and a Song : The Story of the Shenandoah River, with Joan Berg Victor, 1963;
 * Mount Up; A True Story Based on the Reminiscences of Major E. A. H. McDonald of the Confederate Cavalry, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967;
 * Never Say Die : The Glengarry McDonalds of Virginia, American History Press, 1980;
 * The Embassy Girls, West Virginia University, 1992;
 * The Ambassadorial Diary of John W. Davis: The Court of St. Jmaes's 1918-1921, edited by Julia Adams Davis and Dolores A. Fleming, West Virginia University, 1993.


 * As F.Draco
 * The Devil's Church: A Murray Hill Mystery, Rinehart, 1951;
 * Cruise with Death: A Murray Hill Mystery, Rinehart, 1952.