Cottonwood Roots Book

This account of the author's journey proceeds from his birthplace in Broken Bow, Nebraska, eastward across the Midwest to New York State and back into time as he carries out genealogical research on his family. His findings along the way give rise to diverse reflections, from courthouse architecture to the financial and social stresses of "proving up" land claims. The reader becomes a traveling companion, a party to fascinating and thought-provoking discourse on the history that is our common heritage, as well as the stages of birth, growth, individual life, death, and then attenuation in the memory of our descendants. Genealogy may be the folk ancestor worship of Americans, and Luther leads us gracefully to an understanding of what we can learn from such a practice, and why it can satisfy an important need. This book is a pleasant reminder that what we term a "familiar essay" still has its able practitioners, and therefore retains its power to please and to instruct.

As the author journeys from Nebraska to New York State in search of his ancestry, his findings along the way give rise to diverse reflections--from courthouse architecture to "proving up" land claims. The reader becomes a party to thoughtful discourse on American heritage and collective memory.