Robert Jones Belue was born approximately two miles from Gowensville, SC in 1878. The son of Robert J. and Sallie Belue, Robert was totally blind by the age of three. At the age of eight, he was accepted by the Cedar Spring School and was the youngest student ever accepted by the School to that point. After completing his career at the Cedar Spring School, Belue became a music instructor in Spartanburg and Union counties.

Belue eventually left South Carolina for Boston, Massachusetts to become a concert musician. There, he became a student of the internationally acclaimed pianist, Carl Faelten. Before his first public recital, however, Belue was diagnosed with neuritis. While he was able to perform at that recital, he never did so again. He remained for many years in Boston, marrying Effie Wiswell and operating a music shop.

In 1957, Belue retired from his business and remained in Boston until approximately 1962, when he moved back to South Carolina after his wife’s death.

Resources:

• “Author, 87, Deplores ‘Decency’ Decline; Donates 19 Stories to Furman,” The Greenville Piedmont, June 16, 1966
• Belue, Robert J., 1878-1968, South Caroliniana Reference file