After the Treaty of Guadalupe ended the Mexican-American War, the area that would become the state of New Mexico became part of the United States. It had been part of Mexico, and before that, part of New Spain. Which means that there had been Catholic missions to the area for many years. However, after Mexico Read More
Geneature
Westering Women and the Frontier Experience 1800-1915 by Sandra L Myres
This is a non-fiction book, and is basically a review and analysis of the diaries and letters of women who made the journey west, along with what was written about these women, both at the time and much later on. While this may not be easily available at your local library, if you had ancestors Read More
A Good American, by Alex George
This is the fictional story of three generations of a family. It details the reasons the grandparents left their home county, their journey to America, and how they ended up in a small town in Missouri. It is told from the point of view of one of their grandsons. The title comes from the determination Read More
The Nature of Fragile Things, by Susan Meissner
While the San Francisco earthquake in 1906 was devastating for the city and its residents, the main characters in this book actually had other things to worry about.
Women’s Diaries of the Western Journey, by Lillian Schlissel
This is exactly what it says. The author has reviewed and analyzed a number of diaries written by women who made the journey toward the west coast. First published in 1982, it seems to have been reissued at least twice, and you should be able to find a copy at your library. The author makes Read More
West from Appomattox, by Heather Cox Richardson
The subtitle of this book is “The Reconstruction of America after the Civil War”. This is a non-fiction, serious history book which covers the entire country from the end of the Civil War until 1901; the Reconstruction era. Instead of focusing mainly on the South, Richardson looks at many specific issues the whole country was Read More
The Devil’s Tickets, by Gary M Pomerantz
This book intertwines two stories about two couples, set in the late 1920’s, whose only connection was that they played Contract Bridge. The title refers to the appellation that Puritans gave to playing cards, which these two stories do not contradict. The two couples were Ely & Jo Culbertson, and Jack & Myrtle Bennett. One Read More
Images of America, various authors
You have seen these books: slim volumes with sepia toned historical photographs on their covers, found at bookstores, drug stores, or anywhere that might be touristy. They are published by Arcadia Publishing, a company based in South Carolina that has made local history books their specialty. They find authors that are local, or experts on Read More
Undaunted Courage, by Stephen E Ambrose
Ambrose has written a chronology of the Lewis & Clark expedition which is detailed, but still engrossing. He tries to be understanding of the men’s limitations, while still giving them credit for their remarkable achievement. He refers, and often quotes, the journals both Lewis & Clark kept on the journey, but the reader does not Read More
The War That Made America, by Fred Anderson
The war referred to is the French and Indian war, or the Seven Year’s War.