Letters by Lamplight a Womans View of Everyday Life in South Texas, 1873-1883.

Through letters written by one family in post-Reconstruction Texas, Myers shows what life was like in this part of the Old West, from a feminie perspective. The detailed letter of joy and struggle on the frontier remind us, Myers points out, that "broad historical events ... are made up of myriad ordinary lives."

"... a rewarding glimpse into everyday life on the frontier."

--Judyth Rigler, Lone Star Library

"... a signifcant addition to the her-story of pioneer Texas women."

--Mary M. Fisher, The North San Antonio Times

Myers's work succeeds on all levels: as biography, social history, regional record, literary criticism, and feminist revisionism... The account is ... both cohesive and captivating.

--The Western Historical Quarterly

If you have ever been fascinated by old family letters and wondered about the rest of the story, you'll appreciate Letters by Lamplight... Just as they bonded Anna to her extended family, those [letters] bond twentieth century readers with their pioneer counterparts.

--Janet Neugebauer, Texas Tech University

Lois E. Myers is Associate Director of the Baylor Institute for Oral History and Secretary of the Texas Oral History Association.

Preface

Introduction

1.Write Often, Telling Everything

Refugio County, 1852-1877

2.A Smiling Providence

Victoria County, November 1877-September 1881

3.A New Lease on Life

Uvalde County, October 1881-March 1882

4.Grace to Conquer

Edwards County, April 1882-March 1884

Afterword

Appendix: Geanealogy of Anna Louisa Wellington and William Clinton Stoner

Notes

Works Cited

Index