Berniece Iona Terry Hiser (April 6, 1908January 5, 1995) was an American writer and schoolteacher.

Life

Berniece Iona Terry Hiser was born April 6, 1908, in

Cow Creek, Kentucky Cow Creek is an unincorporated community in Owsley County, Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It bord ...

, to Wilson Edgar Terry and Ruse Wilder. She has an undergraduate degree from

Berea College Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. Berea College charges no tuition; every adm ...

and earned a master's degree from the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

. She taught school for 22 years and then became a librarian. At age 70, Hiser published ''Quare Do's in

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

: East Kentucky Legends and Memorats'' (

Pikeville, Kentucky Pikeville () is a city in and the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky, United States. During the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population within Pikeville's city limits was 7,754. In Kentucky's current city classification sys ...

Pikeville College The University of Pikeville (UPIKE) is a private university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Pikeville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1889 by the Presbyterian Church and is located on a campus on a hillside overlookin ...

Press, 1978), a collection of folktales, ghost stories, and tales she collected. which was in its second printing by 1981. Many of the stories involve members of her family, including the tale of how her grandmother Sally Wilder Frost was named by Col.

John Hunt Morgan John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864) was an American soldier who served as a Confederate general in the American Civil War of 1861–1865. In April 1862, Morgan raised the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment (CSA) and fought in t ...

. This book was reviewed by '' Appalachian Journal'' and ''Kentucky Folklore Record''. She also wrote a children's book, set in Kentucky during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, '' The Adventure of Charlie and His Wheat-straw Hat: A Memorat'' illustrated by Mary Szilagyi (1986). which was reviewed by library journals and the media. Hister wrote about people and events in western Kentucky for the local newspapers. Hiser lived in

Walton, Kentucky Walton is a home rule-class city in Boone and Kenton counties in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 3,635 at the 2010 census, up from 2,450 at the 2000 census. History Walton was established in 1840. The railroad was extended to Wa ...

, for many years before her death January 5, 1995. She was buried in Pleasant View Cemetery, beside Pleasant View Church, in

Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,941. Its county seat is Williamstown. The county was formed in 1820 and named for Colonel John Grant, who led a ...

. Her husband Ora Hiser, who died January 5, 1999, was later buried beside her.

Selected publications

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiser, Berniece T. 1908 births 1995 deaths American book editors American children's writers People from Owsley County, Kentucky People from Walton, Kentucky Berea College alumni Writers from Kentucky Educators from Kentucky 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women writers Schoolteachers from Kentucky 20th-century American women educators