This research seeks to compare and contrast fictional Appalachian writings by Lee Smith and Mildred Haun to contemporary historical sources in an attempt to trace the development of Appalachian music between the mid-nineteenth century and the late twentieth century. The thesis examines two novels by Lee Smith (The Devil’s Dream and Oral History) and the collection The Hawk’s Done Gone by Mildred Haun, which includes a short novel and several short stories. Contemporary primary sources and scholarly secondary sources were used to compare the fictional works’ depictions of Appalachian music to their historical counterparts. Also included within the thesis is a discussion of Smith and Haun’s personal and research backgrounds and their connections to Appalachian music. Overall, the study found Smith and Haun’s works accurate and based in historical fact, in part due to both writers’ use of historical research and interviews to inform their fiction.