▁Institute . ▁ ▁Kennedy ▁spent ▁his ▁sum mers ▁in ▁Mart ins burg , ▁Virginia , ▁where ▁he ▁read ▁law ▁under ▁the ▁tut el age ▁of ▁his ▁relative ▁Judge ▁Edmund ▁P end leton ▁( desc endant ▁of ▁the ▁patri ot ▁Edmund ▁P end leton , ▁who ▁sat ▁on ▁the ▁Virginia ▁Court ▁of ▁App e als ). ▁Kennedy ▁would ▁later ▁often ▁all ude ▁to ▁g ente el ▁life ▁on ▁Southern ▁plant ations ▁based ▁on ▁his ▁youth ful ▁sum mers ▁in ▁Mart ins burg . ▁Later , ▁Kennedy ▁inherited ▁some ▁money ▁from ▁a ▁rich ▁Philadelphia ▁uncle , ▁and ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 9 ▁married ▁Elizabeth ▁Gray , ▁whose ▁father ▁Edward ▁Gray ▁was ▁a ▁wealth y ▁mill - owner ▁with ▁a ▁country ▁house ▁on ▁the ▁Pat aps co ▁River ▁below ▁El lic ott ' s ▁M ills , ▁and ▁whose ▁mon et ary ▁gener os ity ▁would ▁allow ▁Kennedy ▁to ▁effectively ▁withdraw ▁from ▁his ▁law ▁practice ▁for ▁a ▁de cade ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁write . ▁ ▁Liter ary ▁life ▁Although ▁admitted ▁to ▁the ▁bar ▁in ▁ 1 8 1 6 , ▁he ▁was ▁much ▁more ▁interested ▁in ▁literature ▁and ▁politics ▁than ▁law . ▁Kennedy ' s ▁first ▁literary ▁attempt ▁was ▁a ▁fort night ly ▁period ical ▁called ▁the ▁Red ▁Book , ▁published ▁an onym ously ▁with ▁his ▁ro omm ate ▁Peter ▁Hoff man ▁Cru se ▁from ▁ 1 8 1 9 – 1 8 2 0 . ▁Kennedy ▁published ▁Sw allow ▁Bar n , ▁or ▁A ▁So j ourn ▁in ▁the ▁Old ▁Domin ion ▁in ▁