William Louis Dolive was born and raised on a family plantation in Daphne, AL, just across the bay from Mobile. At the age of seventeen, he enlisted in what was known by white Southerners as the War of Northern Aggression and served for four years. The story starts with the surrender of "Willie's" Confederate cavalry unit in 1865, following Appomattox. Upon his return to Daphne, he redeveloped the plantation into a marginally viable operation with the help of formerly enslaved people who stayed with the family as employees - until his father returned from Union imprisonment and fully recovered.
An entrepreneur at heart, after William gained experience by working in naval stores (pitch and turpentine), he started a new business with uniquely acquired financing. Following his marriage and success in two locations, he sold and moved his family to Orlando to become a citrus grower. This business ultimately thrived despite serious setbacks. William was both civic-minded and very attentive to the needs of his children, with a special responsibility for his daughters. In his Victorian mind, his duty was not only to provide for the women in his life, but to protect them from even the knowledge of evil in the world. Extremely goal-oriented, diligent, and hardworking, William was a polar opposite from his granddaughter, Marcellite, whose values were shaped by a different set of historical circumstances. A Touch of Glory! ends in early 1899 with the wedding of William's youngest daughter. In reality, this wedding didn't take place until 1907, the same year as author Marian Clarke's marriage to Henry Louis Dolive - and three years before the birth of Marcellite, the main character of the companion book, Engaging Life.
Dolive, Henry: - Editor Henry Dolive is interested in family lives which demonstrate depth of character. Henry recalled childhood weekly visits to Orlando, where his father spent hours reviewing edits with Marian and making notes for the coming week's typing. Upon his own retirement, Henry resurrected the manuscript to introduce subsequent generations to their ancestors. In addition to editing for clarity, with assistance from older relatives, he restored the names of major characters from the pseudonyms used by his grandmother. To lend context, he added a biographical appendix on his grandmother who had dedicated twenty-five years to this story.Henry participates in a well-published writer's critique group and, in addition to family history, enjoys drafting children's stories and reading to second graders at an inner-city school. His last publication, Raccoon Wars, reflected a humorous struggle set in his large rooftop garden. He lives in the woods with his musician wife, a border collie, and a golden retriever. He mainly heats his house with wood stoves for which he chainsaws and splits firewood. He enjoys photography, hiking, biking, kayaking, singing, and pickleball. He has two adult children: a college-student daughter and an attorney son.
Dolive, Marian: - Author Marian Clarke Dolive was inspired by her own heritage and that of her husband. Her father, William Clarke, was born in England and, at age eleven, emigrated with his family to the U.S. in1853, settling in Albany, New York. He later served in the Union Army, married, and had two children before his wife died of tuberculosis. In the early 1870s, he moved with his children to Jacksonville, Florida. There, he opened a plumbing business and remarried. Tragically in 1880, a home fire killed his second wife and all but one of their children. Subsequently marrying his sister-in-law, he had more children, including author Marian in 1889.Marian was a vivacious and theatrical child. At age fourteen, she became smitten with an older gentleman boarder, Henry Louis Dolive, and he with her. Her father refused permission for her to marry until she was at least eighteen. At that time, they married in 1907 and moved to Tampa. The couple had two children, the older being this book editor's father, Clarke Dolive. Henry succeeded in business, first banking and then as the de facto CEO of Baker Bros. Co., a general store which he expanded to eleven locations throughout Central Florida. These were wealthy years, including significant travel. However, the 1927 Florida land bubble bust destroyed the state's economy and sent Baker Bros. into a tailspin. Henry borrowed heavily, but the onset of the Great Depression dealt the final blow. In 1930, Henry closed the stores and moved back to Orlando where he managed the family grove. No doubt affected by stress and debt, he died in 1936.Following her husband's death, Marian's business skills emerged. Through work, investments, and negotiation, she settled all the debt incurred in the attempts to save Baker Bros. Around 1940, she began writing a biography of her father-in-law, William Louis Dolive, starting with his surrender at the end of the Civil War and describing his business success in naval stores and citrus. Having enjoyed writing poetry for much of her life, Marian received guidance from a playwright, author, and professor at Rollins College, in nearby Winter Park. In 1953, Marian suffered a major stroke, paralyzing her right side and rendering her bed-ridden for the rest of her life. At this point, Clarke began weekly trips to Orlando to help his mother, Marian, revise and finish the story. Attempts to publish it at that time were unsuccessful, and Marian's death in 1965 relegated the manuscript to a closet shelf.
