ABSTRACT
Actor, theater manager, playwright, journalist and editor, Joseph M. Field displayed the versatility characteristic of the nonprofessional literary men who forged the humor of the Old Southwest. Field was born in 1810, but some sources give his place of birth as Dublin, others, London. His father, Matthew Field, was a Catholic publisher and "well-known Irish exile whose property had been confiscated after the Rebellion of 1798". Field's own manuscript sketch of his younger brother, Matthew, suggests that his father moved from Ireland to London shortly after 1803 and thus points to London as his probable birthplace. Between 1830 and 1844, Field's professional life was devoted primarily to acting and play-writing. On November 6, 1837, Field married Eliza Riddle, the leading lady for the company of Ludlow and Smith. Field's literary ability also led to a career in journalism.
