Historical Readings: If anyone is following my posts, I'm trying to keep up to date on my genealogical findings. Lately, I've given to reading works by people who lived and traveled through the American South. My first book which I highly recommend to any curious about the southern experience during the antebellum years is Cotton Kingdom by Fredrick Law Olmsted. I wrote about it last month in detail. Although, I think he is a bit wordy at points, readers acquainted with Victorian era prose will find him rather succinct.

On the subject of 19th c travel writing, I checked out a book called The Very Worst Road: Traveller's Accounts of Crossing Alabama's Old Creek Territory, 1820-1847. Not judging a book by its cover or even its ill thought reference name, I found the experiences included to be varied and informative. Lots of touring entertainers like P T Barnum and Tyrone Power give their two cents on life in Alabama. For those of you who don't know... I'm a theatre person, so I give a bit of cred to my peeps from the past.

Another interesting 19th c text is Journey into Wilderness: An Army Surgeon's Account of Life in Camp and Field during the Creek and Seminole Wars 1836-1838 by Jacob Rhett Motte. My ancestor, Freeman W Boyd was a participant in this particular conflict in the on going struggle between the Native American tribes who resisted the forced migration west. I found Motte's experience to be pedestrian, his observations of the various militia companies from Alabama to be somewhat informative. Regardless how you view some of his writings (I find a recollection of a story of a Creek brave slitting his own throat with a dull knife rather that being taken west a rather romantic thought, but probably not the whole truth) they are the best first person perspective known concerning this time.

Going back in time a few years, I've almost finished The Journal of John Harrower: An Indentured Servant in the Colony of Virginia 1773 - 1776. John was a Scottish laddie from the Shetland Islands who left his wife and family to travel south to London in 1773 in search of work. John, a former merchant, was unable to find employment and was unable to procure funds to sail abroad to the continental mainland. Instead, in a moment of weakness, he sold himself into indenture as a tutor in the colony of Virginia. His account of life crossing the Atlantic ocean is brief, but poignant. While he didn't experience the nastiness that lesser placed people did, you get a good view of colonial life through his employer.

Finally, I must confess the book that made me put all my musty dusties away for at least a couple of days Confederacy of Silence: A True Tale of the New Old South by Richard Rubin. I was drawn to the book by the title which is so near a favored book A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. The first few pages instantly hooked me. Having grown up in the "New Old South" especially having come of age during the time that the beginning of the book was written (late 1980's) and being of a mind that wasn't a part of the --ok, I have to take a break here because even twenty years distant, I can't bring my self to acquiesce to the sidelines of southern experiences. Let's just say that my life didn't include much football, animal hunting, and husband luring. To this day I get miffed by people from my past who call me "different".---Back to the book: The message of privilege by birth was one that I found to be authentic and I admire Mr. Rubin for pursuing the story of Handy Campbell. In the book, the author speaks about his fascination with the Emmit Till Case--another side note: I didn't EVEN know this had happened until about 8 years ago when I stumbled upon it when researching the song " Strange Fruit" sung by Billie Holliday. Upon learning this, I asked my father if he knew of anyone in our area that was lynched or murdered wrongly. He just bowed his head a said that one guy they thought was murdered, but had escaped to New Jersey. A likely story, but one that I'm sure was "passed" as truth to appease the religious sorts. Let's hope that his grand children are well and happy-- which is why he probably pursued this case with such fervor. I haven't finished the book, but I already relate to the late night drives into no where trying to get AM stations from all over. Chicago's WBBM and Atlanta's WSB ruled late night.

Already gone longer than expected...