On March 28, 1901, Alice Moore Dunbar in Washington, D. C., related a humorous story to her husband Paul Laurence Dunbar in Jacksonville, Florida, about the spelling of his middle name.
I was wailing to Dr. Parsons on the inability to find a free library where one could find the books one wanted and take them home and she suggested the Masonic Library on Third and E Streets. I had never heard of the Masonic Library before, but I wanted a history so I went there. The librarian, a very polite young man, told me that the library was only for relatives of Masons, or Masons, or for someone who was recommended very highly. I did as Dr. Parsons told me then, gave her name and my own. Her name proved an Open Sesame. The young man's politeness became friendliness. My own name, Mrs. Dunbar, caused him to look incredulous.
"You're not the wife of Paul Laurence Dunbar?" he inquired, accentuating the Laurence.
I inadvertently admitted that I was.
"And you know Dr. Parsons?" he said. It seemed to give him so much pleasure. Then he went at once and got the book I wanted and began to make an entry in his book.
"I believe that your husband is very particular about spelling the Laurence with a W," he said as he made the entry. I think the librarian must be a close reader of yours.
Alice Moore Dunbar to Paul Laurence Dunbar, March 28, 1901. Paul Laurence Dunbar Papers, Ohio History Connection (Microfilm edition, Roll 8).
Paul's middle name was frequently misspelled, even on the title page of his own book Majors and Minors in 1895. When the influential literary critic William Dean Howells published a review of the book, he perpetuated the error on a national scale.
I do not remember any English-speaking Negro who has till now done in verse work of at all the same moment as Paul Lawrence Dunbar, the author of the volume I am speaking of.
"Life and Letters," by William Dean Howells. Harper's Weekly (New York, New York). June 27, 1896. Page 630.
When the Ohio legislature designated Paul's former home a state memorial, the senate bill spelled his middle name wrong. More recently, the same error was entered into the Congressional Record when an Ohio senator commemorated Paul's birthday.
For the purpose of establishing a state memorial and museum building, the Ohio State Archeological and Historical Society is hereby authorized to acquire the home of Paul Lawrence Dunbar, located at 219 North Summit Street, Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, and establish thereat a state memorial and museum building commemorating the life and work of said Paul Lawrence Dunbar.
Amended Senate Bill No. 450, July 23, 1936. The State of Ohio Legislative Acts Passed and Joint Resolutions Adopted by the Ninety-First General Assembly of Ohio. The F. J. Heer Printing Company (Columbus, Ohio). 1936. Volume 116, Part 2, Pages 256 - 257.
There is no debate that Paul Lawrence Dunbar and his works have enriched the history and character of his hometown, Dayton; his State - my State - Ohio; and our great country. Paul Lawrence Dunbar is known throughout the world for his literary genius.
Remarks by Senator Sherrod Brown, June 26, 2008. United States of America Congressional Record, 110th Congress, Second Session, Senate. Government Printing Office (Washington, D. C.). Volume 154, Number 107, Page S6186.
Early in his career, Paul became acquainted with the Hoosier dialect poet James Whitcomb Riley. Paul told Alice that Riley gave him some advice about using his middle name.
Write me soon again, dear friend, and I promise to be better next time. Have just left Riley. He says I must drop my middle name, so here goes.
Very Sincerely Yours
Paul Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar to Alice Ruth Moore, March 6, 1896. Paul Laurence Dunbar Papers, Ohio History Connection (Microfilm edition, Roll 8).
Despite Riley's advice, Paul continued to use his middle name for literary work. In one of Paul's short stories, there is a character who is an author. Among his friends, he was simply called Dick, but in his writings he was known as Richard Barry Worthington.
Literary men put in all the name they can, presumably to add weight to whatever they offer the heartless editor.
"The Lion Tamer," by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The Smart Set (New York, New York). January 1901. Page 148.