This is an excerpt from Abby, Laurilla, and Mary Ann, Chapter Nineteen, “College and Financial Difficulties Emma and the Austins, 1872–1878,” pp. 237–243. It continued to be difficult to make money in Eldred. Henry needed his sons’ help with farming, … Continue reading
Hannah Hickok Eldred, her husband James, daughter Mary Ann, age three, and stepdaughter Phebe Maria, age fifteen, lived in a new two-story home. Built in 1830, the house sat next to the old sawmill, a few hundred feet east of … Continue reading
In August 1839 a group of freeborn Africans, victims in double illegal circumstances, made headlines in the United States. Earlier in the year the West Africans had been taken captive by fellow Africans and forced to make the trek to … Continue reading
This is one of several poems regarding slavery written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807–1882. The woodcut of Longfellow was part of a news article in Mary Ann Eldred Austin’s Scrapbook.—Abby, Laurilla, and Mary Ann, p. 135. Loud he sang the … Continue reading
Hannah Smith and her daughters were very much involved in the Abolition movement which fought to free slaves. It was a very challenging chapter to write because of the horrors and many injustices involved with people who had been enslaved. … Continue reading
In 1824, more than half a century ago, the marquis Gilbert Motier de Lafayette, for the Fourth Time, visited the United States. His arrival was hailed with universal joy throughout the land; and he passed through the twenty-four States of … Continue reading
Halfway Brook Friends, I hope everyone is staying well and warm with all the snow, ice, and cold this winter. It was 30 degrees here in Cave Creek, AZ when I got up this morning. A bit cold for this … Continue reading
I have ordered a second hard copy proof of Abby, Laurilla, and Mary Ann, and am hopeful that I can make it available at that time. (The time it takes to ship have increased, so it may be at least … Continue reading
We leave the Smiths in Glastenbury in 1825 to visit the younger Hannah Hickok, her brother Justus Hickok, and the Eldred Family who live in Lumberland, New York. Hannah’s life is about to have a major change. Daily work in … Continue reading
I’m excited to say I am on the final edit of a black and white hard copy of Abby, Laurilla, and Mary Ann. The maps, timeline, trees, sidebars, text, Endnotes, Bibliography, Acknowledgments, Index, and About the Author are complete. The … Continue reading
