Frances Ione Ogilvie

    From childhood, Frances Ogilvie loved literature and writing. At age 26, she had a 311-page novel published by Farrar  and Rinehart of New York and London. "Green Bondage" told the story of the struggles and personal problems faced by a young couple starting out on a tobacco farm after World War I.

    Frances Ione Ogilvie was born 29 October 1902, to Dr. Richard Woods Ogilvie and Jimmie (Lester) Ogilvie. She was a granddaughter of Richard Akin Ogilvie and Mattie A. (Woods) Ogilvie and a great-granddaughter of Richard Haley Ogilvie and Susan Ophelia Akin. Richard Haley Ogilvie was the fifth child of Richard and Cynthia (Wilson) Ogilvie.

    Frances was born and reared in the home of her maternal great-grandmother, Mrs. Mary Frances Dixon of Princeton. The stately colonial plantation house was built before the Civil War and offered plenty of space for an only child like Frances Ogilvie to develop a tendency toward romantic imagery. She wrote short stories, plays and items for local publications.

    After graduation from Princeton High, Frances attended Hamilton College in Lexington, KY, where she served as editor of the school newspaper, the "Hamilton Edition". She also attended what is now Transylvania University in Lexington, KY. According to a friend of Frances, Frances conceived of the idea for her novel "Green Bondage" from stories her father told her.

    Frances became a celebrity in her home state following publication of the book. The honored guest at club meetings and social events, she and her mother often appeared together. In time, Frances married Earle M. Nichols of Madisonville, KY. No children were born to this union, but Frances helped raise Earl's children from his first marriage. Her step-son, Fred Nichols became an attorney in Madisonville, KY and her step-daughter married a Mr. Beshear and moved to Dawson Springs, KY.