Must Reads.

[MissMaggie]

What are some must reads concerning daily life during the war era, women's clothing, material culture, sewing, etc., etc.? Basically, if someone is working from mainstream to progressive what should they be reading? I'm working on a list for the group I'm with and all I can think of that I've read is "Who Wore What," otherwise I'm drawing blanks.

Thanks in Advance!!

[KarinTimour]

Re: Must Reads.

Dear Miss Maggie:

First of all, is your group more interested in Union women or Confederate women or both?

Since you're located in Wisconsin, I'm going to assume you're leaning more towards the Union, so here are some of the books I'd recommend:

Everyday life:
The Reshaping of Everyday Life 1790 - 1840 by Jack Larkin is sort of a broad overview of changes in society and communities and housekeeping. Very broad, but will give a good foundation for more information.

A Treatise on Domestic Economy -- Catherine Beecher -- Published in the 1840s this book covers all aspects of managing a home and was a best seller in it's time. Chock full of details, and from the stuff she tells you not to do, you can get an idea of things that people were doing wrong (sometimes much more telling than "doing it the right way").

Catherine Beecher, A Study in American Domesticity by Kathryn Kish Sklar is a biography of Catherine Beecher, who was a sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe and of Henry Ward Beecher. Their father, Lyman Beecher was a revolutionary minister in Cincinatti, and this book has quite a bit of detail about that part of her life.

The American Frugal Housewife -- Lydia Maria Child -- Another "how to run your household well" book, this was also a bestseller of the 1840s, and much of it's advice holds true today.

The Light of the Home: An Intimate View of the Lives of Women in Victorian America by Harvey Green -- Lots of pictures, and discussion of a wide range of topics -- while he discusses a lot of things not covered in other books, he also sometimes tends to focus on later 19th century (1870, 1880, etc.). But there are parts of this book that are really interesting.

The Cooks Own Book by a Boston Housekeeper (Mrs. N.K.M. Lee) First published in 1832 this book is arranged as an alphabetic reference to food and recipes. Lots of informaiton about surprising foods that they had and ate. My copy is a reprint done in 1972, and this book is available in second hand stores.

Specific localities
Sugar Creek: Life on the Illinois Prarie by John Mack Faragher -- This book covers the changes in the community that occurred between the turn of the 19th century to the 1870s. Lots of detail which is probably pretty transferrable to other areas of the Northwest Territories.

The Yankee West: Community Life on the Michigan Frontier by Susan E. Gray -- This book describes life in Kalamazoo County, Michigan from the 1830s to the 1880s.

American Notes by Charles Dickens is his observations of the US during a visit in 1842. He primarily visited the Eastern cities -- New York, Philadelphia, etc. but he did make it to St. Louis. He didn't like the US, but his trained eye for detail give you absolutely delicious slices of what life looked like everywhere he went.

The Private War of Mrs. Packard by Barbara Sapinsley is the story of Mrs. Packard, who so offended her Calvanist minister husband that he took advantage of an Illinois law that allowed a husband to have his wife committed to an insane asylum on his own whim (with the consent of the admitting doctor). She had to live there for several years before her son was able to get her released -- and then in a sensational jury trial she was found sane (!). This book tells the whole story, including chunks of information from the various court papers that give details of everyday life.

Women's Involvement in the War
My Story of the War -- by Mary Livermore -- Head of the Northwest Sanitary Commission, she also includes stories about her trips up and down the Mississippi and a bit of a trip out to Iowa(?) where she saw women harvesting grain.

Yankee Women: Gender Battles in the Civil War by Elizabeth Leonard profiles four women who took very different stances regarding their involvement in the war -- Annie Wittenmeyer, Sophronia Bucklin and Dr. Mary Walker. Midwestern women, especially out Iowa way should definately read the chapter on Annie Wittenmeyer, which covers the story of the Keeokuk Ladies' Soldiers' Aid Society and the knockdown drag out fight which ensued when the Governor of Iowa decided that everyone should join the United States Sanitary Commission without consulting the women of Iowa who were managing very nicely to support their soldiers without any need for interference from some Eastern busybodies. A terrific story which is often not told these days.

Reminiscences of a Soldier's Wife by Mrs. John A Logan is the memior by the widow of Black Jack Logan. Only about a third of the book is devoted to the war and life before the war -- the bulk of it is post-war, and her focus is definately safeguarding "Black Jack Logan"/s memory. Very partisan, but some good details none the less.

Noble Women of the North edited by Sylvia Dannett -- These are first person accounts of women involved in nursing and the Sanitary Commssion. The book itself was published in 1959, but the accounts it holds are often not to be found other places, many of them eyewitnesses of the events they tell. Includes several accounts of Sanitary Fairs.

Those are a few to get your group started -- and of course if they are interested in Confederate women, let us know that as well.

Looking forward to the responses from others, always interested in books I've not discovered yet,
Karin Timour
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[marlin teat]

Re: Must Reads.

“Everyday Life in the 1800s: A Guide for Writers, Students & Historians”
by Marc McCutcheon
ISBN: 1582970637

There is another book "Everyday Life in the Civil War" that I would not recommend, but "Life in the 1800's" is very good.

[Carolann Schmitt]

Re: Must Reads.

Maggie,

I have a book list I've compiled and include in the notebooks for the Conference each year. It's arranged by topic and includes books on clothing(men, women, children), undergarments, accessories, textiles, needlework, knitting, dyes and dyeing, personal beauty and grooming, etiquette, domestic management, mourning, material culture, diaries, biographies, general history, and film (any maybe a few others that I can't remember off-hand). It's strictly civilian in orientation. Please contact me off-list if you or anyone else would like a copy. It's too long to post here - 20+ pages single-spaced.