From the Publisher
Edith Bradley Rendleman's story of her life in southern Illinois is remarkable in many ways. Recalling the first half of the twentieth century in great detail, she vividly cites vignettes from her childhood as her family moved from farm to farm until settling in 1909 in the Mississippi bottoms west of Wolf Lake. She recounts the lives and times of her family and neighbors during an era gone forever.
Remarkable for the vivid details that evoke the past, Rendleman's account is rare in another respect: memoirs of the time -- usually written by people from elite or urban families -- often reek of nostalgia. But Rendleman's memoir differs from the norm. Born poor in rural southern Illinois, she tells an unvarnished tale of what it was really like growing up on a tenant farm early this century.
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FROM THE BOOK
Table of Contents
Plates
Editor's Preface
Map 1: Union County in the Mid-Nineteenth Century
Map 2: Union County in 1900
Map 3: The World of Edith Bradley Rendleman's Memoirs
Introduction 1
1 The Hard World I Was Born Into 24
2 First Memories of Home 36
3 Spice Cake and Fried Squirrel 51
4 Bringing in the Harvest 66
5 Farm Chores and High Jinks 83
6 A One-Room School with a Potbellied Stove 94
7 "Jump, Edith!" 110
8 Having the Time of Our Lives 128
9 Bedbugs, Fleas, and Hired Hands 141
10 My World Comes Apart 152
11 Carrying On 176
App. A. The Family of John and Mary Curtis Bradley 183
App. B. Descendants of Zachariah Lyerla (1755?-1847) Relevant to Edith Bradley Rendleman 184
App. C. The Family of Adam and Etta Bittle Ballance 186
App. D. The Family of Allen and Minnie Ballance Morgan 186
App. E. The Family of Sarah Penrod Grammer Bradley 187
App. F. The Family of Mary Lyerla 187
App. G. The Family of Robert and Hallie Crowell Rendleman 188
App. H. The Family of William and Edith Bradley Rendleman 188
Notes 189
Selected Bibliography 201
Index 203
Edith Bradley Rendleman's story of her life in southern Illinois is remarkable in many ways. Recalling the first half of the twentieth century in great detail, she vividly cites vignettes from her childhood as her family moved from farm to farm until settling in 1909 in the Mississippi bottoms west of Wolf Lake. She recounts the lives and times of her family and neighbors during an era gone forever.
Remarkable for the vivid details that evoke the past, Rendleman's account is rare in another respect: memoirs of the time -- usually written by people from elite or urban families -- often reek of nostalgia. But Rendleman's memoir differs from the norm. Born poor in rural southern Illinois, she tells an unvarnished tale of what it was really like growing up on a tenant farm early this century.
more reviews
FROM THE BOOK
Table of Contents
Plates
Editor's Preface
Map 1: Union County in the Mid-Nineteenth Century
Map 2: Union County in 1900
Map 3: The World of Edith Bradley Rendleman's Memoirs
Introduction 1
1 The Hard World I Was Born Into 24
2 First Memories of Home 36
3 Spice Cake and Fried Squirrel 51
4 Bringing in the Harvest 66
5 Farm Chores and High Jinks 83
6 A One-Room School with a Potbellied Stove 94
7 "Jump, Edith!" 110
8 Having the Time of Our Lives 128
9 Bedbugs, Fleas, and Hired Hands 141
10 My World Comes Apart 152
11 Carrying On 176
App. A. The Family of John and Mary Curtis Bradley 183
App. B. Descendants of Zachariah Lyerla (1755?-1847) Relevant to Edith Bradley Rendleman 184
App. C. The Family of Adam and Etta Bittle Ballance 186
App. D. The Family of Allen and Minnie Ballance Morgan 186
App. E. The Family of Sarah Penrod Grammer Bradley 187
App. F. The Family of Mary Lyerla 187
App. G. The Family of Robert and Hallie Crowell Rendleman 188
App. H. The Family of William and Edith Bradley Rendleman 188
Notes 189
Selected Bibliography 201
Index 203
