Roxana's Children Book

This book tells the story of Roxana Brown Walbridge Watts (1802-1862), a farm wife in Peacham, Vermont, and the twelve children she raised - nine of her own, two stepchildren, and a grandchild; six girls and six boys. Mined from a rich lode of primary material - letters, diaries, photographs - these personal histories describe a strikingly broad range of experiences. In their letters Roxana and her children discuss their daily concerns - farm work and crops, medical emergencies and treatments, the details of marriages, births, and deaths. They write about matters of national significance as well: the westward migration, the contrast between women's and men's experiences, the temperance and abolition movements, the mechanization of farm life, and the increase of secularization. Together their stories offer an intimate portrait of an American family caught up in the sweep of a century of change.

Booknews

Tells the story of Roxana Brown Walbridge Watts, a 19th-century farm wife in Vermont, and her 12 children, drawing on letters, diaries, photographs, and personal histories. Correspondence between Roxana and her children reveal men's and women's experiences in farm and factory work, the Civil War, the Gold Rush, and the temperance and abolition movements, offering an intimate portrait of an American family caught up in a century of change. Includes b&w photos. Paper edition (unseen), $19.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)