Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Roxana's Children is a well-researched and well written biography of Roxana Brown Walbridge Watts (1802-62) and her descendants. The book is constructed from the descendants' 300 preserved letters, 30 diaries, and photographs from the family's village life during 19th-century Vermont. Bonfield and Morrison use these sources to discuss social change and movement in American life.
Synopsis
Biography of Roxana Brown Walbridge Watts 1802-1862, her life in Peacham Vermont mined from a rich lode of primary material--letters, diaries, and photographs. Letters from her 6 children, 3 who moved to the midswest, two who fought in the Civil War, a daughter who left to work in the Lowell textile mills and a daughter who attended Mount Holyoke Seminary. Their writings included matters of national significance, the westward migration, the temperance and abolitionist movements, mechanizing farm life, and the increase of secularization. A fascinating portrait of an American family caught up in the sweep of a century of change.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 247-256) and index.