Atlanta, Ga., Aug 16, 2012 / 23:16 pm
The estate of a nephew of Margaret Mitchell has donated half of the trademark and literary rights to her famous Civil War novel "Gone with the Wind" to the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
Joseph Mitchell, the son of Margaret's brother Stephens, died in October 2011 at the age of 76. The novel rights are part of a multi-million dollar bequest to the archdiocese.
"The Archdiocese of Atlanta has been blessed with a generous gift through the kindness of Joe Mitchell," Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta said Aug. 16. "This gift is a reservoir of the funds earned through the genius of Margaret Mitchell and her depiction of the harsh struggles of Southern life during and after the Civil War.
"The Mitchell family has a proud Catholic legacy, and this gift will allow that legacy and that pride to be shared with many others in the archdiocese."