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Philip Lemont Barbour (December 21, 1898 – December 21, 1980) was an American linguist, historian and radio broadcaster, who is most remembered by those interested in the foundations of English settlement in North America, for his detailed investigations into and documentation of the life of the pioneering adventurer, colonialist and proto-“travel writer”, Captain John Smith. At an earlier stage in his rather varied career, Barbour played a key role in the creation of Radio Free Europe after World War II. Early life Philip Lemont Barbour was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on December 21, 1898. His father was Dr. Philip Foster Barbour (born February 24, 1867, in Danville, Kentucky; died November 1, 1944, aged 77, in Louisville, Kentucky) and his mother was Jessie E. Lemont (born April 28, 1872, Louisville, Kentucky; died March 7, 1947, in New York, New York aged 74). His parents were married on October 29, 1891, in Louisville. Philip Barbour's paternal grandfather, Lewis Green Barbour (1829–1907), a native of Danville, was the principal of the Caldwell Institute for Young Ladies which was founded in Danville in 1860 and still exists albeit absorbed into Center College. His wife, Elizabeth Anne (Ford) Barbour (1835–1921) was born in Mississippi. Barbour's maternal grandfather, Seward Merrill Lemont (born January 1833; died October 1903), was born in Maine but moved to Louisville where he became the prosperous president of a cold storage company. His wife, Emma Fredericka (Bleyle) Lemont (born April 1839; died November 1918) was originally from New York, New York. For at least nine years after their marriage, as shown in the 1900 Federal census., Philip's parents and his siblings lived in the substantial Lemont family home on Second St., in Louisville along with three servants. By 1900, the family comprised the two parents and their three children; Philip and his sisters Ruth (born September 1892) and Margaret (born 1894). By 1900, Philip's father, Dr. Philip Barbour, was practicing as a physician in Louisville, having graduated from the Hospital College of Medicine at the University of Louisville in 1890, and was also serving as Professor of Diseases of Children at the university. The family was sufficiently well off to summer in upstate New York and holiday in Europe. The parents also appear to have had substantial artistic connections. For example, Philip's mother, Jessie, often recounted a visit to Paris in the late 1890s where she met the German lyric poet, Rainer Maria Rilke at the studio of Auguste Rodin. The Louisville Courier-Journal of February 7, 1900, mentions (p. 6) that Lorado Taft, a Chicago sculptor who was due to visit Louisville to give an address to the Women's Club would be staying with Dr. and Mrs Barbour while he is in town. Mrs. Barbour's name is also frequently mentioned at this time in connection with activities of the Louisville Arts Club. Parental divorce Dr. Philip Barbour and his wife, Jessie, were divorced on December 13, 1904. The grounds for the divorce petition lodged by Dr. Barbour were that his wife had deserted him in November, 1904 through no fault of his own. The article said nothing about custody of the children but it was understood a private arrangement had been made. The 1910 census showed that Philip, his mother and his two siblings were still living in the Lemont family home on Second St. in Louisville. Dr. Philip Barbour who was now living on Fifth Street, Louisville, with a new wife, one Elizabeth (Akin) Barbour who he had married on January 9, 1909. In 1910, Philip's mother, Jessie, moved to New York City, taking her three children with her. On July 14, 1913, she married a German immigrant and writer named Otto Johannes (Hans) Trausil. Trausil was described in his citizenship application as being tall, of medium build with blue eyes and blond hair as well as being 24 years younger than his new wife. Education By his own account, Barbour "left high school (the Patterson-Davenport school in Louisville) without graduating to enter Columbia and (he) left Columbia because (he) wanted to get to know people rather than to know too many languages." Barbour earlier had claimed that he had enrolled at Columbia University as a freshman, studying history and languages although there is no record of a Philip Barbour in the alumni records of Columbia University for the years 1914 to 1920. There is, however, record of a “Lamont Barbour” (possibly a misspelling of his middle name, Lemont) as having attended but left without graduating in 1918. In the same interview, Barbour also said that he attended Cornell University between 1917 and 1919. This claim is supported by his draft record which identifies him as a student at Cornell University and by the Cornell University Class Records for 1919 which identify him as a junior. He was pleased to note that he also left Cornell without obtaining a degree. While he was at University, there were several developments involving his close family. First, on June 15, 1917, his older sister, Ruth married an Army reservist named Harold Albert Lamb with whom she would soon move to California. Then, on June 29, 1917, his other sister, Margaret married a naval officer named Douglas Murray who was soon to leave on active duty. In 1918, his mother, Jessie and her second husband, Hans Trausil, published their translation of “Poems” by Rainer Maria Rilke with an introduction by H. T. (that is, Hans Trausil). The dedication reads “To the Memory of Auguste Rodin through whom I came to know Rainer Maria Rilke”. Finally, on November 24, 1918, Philip's maternal grandmother, Emma Lemont, died leaving a modest inheritance to his mother, her brother, Seward, and two of her three children (including Philip). Career The 1920s: a quick marriage and divorce and work as a journalist in Italy During the early 1920s, there are traces of Barbour's movements in the southern states and Mexico. In May 1920, a Mr. Philip L. Barbour is noted as checking into the Adams Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. In June 1924, there is a record of him arriving at San Pedro, California, from Mazatlan, Mexico. Consistent with these movements, the next record of Barbour's movements is an announcement in an El Paso, TX newspaper of a marriage between Philip Lemont Barbour and a Consuelo Seggerman (born February 24, 1902; died January 1, 1973) the daughter of a prominent El Paso pioneering family. The newspaper account mentions that the couple will make their home in Mexico City “where Mr. Barbour has business interests.” The article also mentions that Mr. Barbour was a graduate of Cornell University. The marriage did not last long; possibly as little as 12 months. A 1929 El Paso newspaper article announced that Consuelo Seggerman had been granted a divorce from Philip Barbour on the grounds of cruelty. The article reported that Ms. Seggerman had been so badly treated by her husband that she had a nervous breakdown, that her maiden name had bee.... Discover the Compiled By Barbour Staff popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Compiled By Barbour Staff books.