Jimmy was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in November 1900, the second child of Eugene and Maybelle Mitchell. Maybelle wanted Jimmy to have an education and to have the best possible chances in life, as most parents do. From the time Jimmy was born, Maybelle read to the child. Once old enough to write, Jimmy began writing original stories of adventures in faraway lands. From childhood, through adolescence, and into teenage years, Jimmy continued to create vivid characters in worlds which were sometimes real and other times imaginative.
In September 1922, Jimmy got married against the advice of Maybelle and Eugene. John Marsh, a friend of the couple, was the best man at the wedding. Jimmy’s spouse, nicknamed “Red,” worked in a bootlegging ring and often drank more product than was sold. When juiced up on bootlegged liquor, Red liked to party, carouse, and turned violent toward Jimmy. In December 1922, after less than three months of marriage, Jimmy gave up. The marriage was over, but not legally. At first, Red refused to give Jimmy a divorce. Finally, with a loan from John Marsh, the best man at their wedding, Jimmy was able to get a divorce. Six months later, Jimmy married for a second time.
Jimmy went to work as a reporter for a newspaper called the Atlanta Journal. It was a nice job that Jimmy thoroughly enjoyed. Then, Jimmy injured an ankle which failed to heal as quickly as anyone expected. Unable to walk without crutches, Jimmy had no choice but quit the reporting job. Jimmy’s spouse brought armloads of books into the house to keep Jimmy occupied. Finally, Jimmy’s spouse’s patience was exhausted. Tiring of the constant trips back and forth between their apartment and the public library, Jimmy’s spouse said something to the effect of, “For God’s sake, can’t you write a book instead of reading thousands of them?” With that challenge, Jimmy began writing. For three years, Jimmy wrote, edited, fact-checked, and rewrote. Finally, in 1936, Jimmy published a book that became a bestseller and won the Pulitzer Prize. Three years later, a film was released based on Jimmy’s novel which is now considered one of the greatest films ever made.
Let me back up just a moment. Remember Jimmy remarried six months after the divorce? Jimmy married John Marsh, the best man at her wedding and the man who paid for her divorce.
Her wedding? Her divorce? You see, when Jimmy was only three years old, her dress brushed up against an iron grate and caught fire. Luckily, she was unharmed, but the experience was traumatic for her mother who feared that the child’s clothing would catch on fire again someday and she would not be so lucky. From that moment on, her mother dressed her in boys’ clothing. Her brother mockingly nicknamed her Jimmy and, much to her chagrin, the nickname stuck. Jimmy was the nickname of Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind.
Sources:
1. The Atlanta Constitution, December 6, 1936, p.12.
2. The Atlanta Journal, August 12, 1949, p.1.
3. The Atlanta Journal, August 16, 1943, p.1.