Synopses & Reviews
The journal of Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas, spanning the years from 1848 to 1889, is rare for its treatment of both the Civil War and postbellum years and for its candor and detail in treating these eras. Thomas, who was born to wealth and privilege and reared in the tradition of the southern belle, tells of the hard days of war and the poverty brought on by emancipation and Reconstruction. Her entries illuminate experiences shared with thousands of other southern women.
Review
An involving and intriguing addition to the personal histories of the period.
Kirkus Reviews
Review
Fascinating.
Publishers Weekly
Review
Few diaries by Southern women are as rich as Thomas's account. This is a real Scarlett O'Hara, with grit.
Library Journal
Review
An unusually rich insight into a crucial period of social change.
Maryland Historical Magazine
Review
A rare, continuous picture.
Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, author of Within the Plantation Household: Black and White Women of the Old South
About the Author
Virginia Ingraham Burr, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, who now lives in Salem, South Carolina, spent ten years preparing Thomas's journal for publication.Virginia Ingraham Burr, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, who now lives in Salem, South Carolina, spent ten years preparing Thomas's journal for publication.Nell Irvin Painter is professor of history at Princeton University.