Children of the West

"Mama, how does god make babeys out of clay?" Questioned little Charlie Malick, one of countless frontier children who were loved, coddled, sheltered as best as possible, clothed somewhat, but were still enmeshed in frontier circumstances that were dire indeed. The story of American family life resembles that of the country itself--a people maturing in the new land, starting out in search of freedom, and finding in their quest the ability to "grow up" alongside their children. In Children of the West, the unsung lives of pioneer children are revealed, from tin bottles to rural schoolin; daily work, and favorite games. Over a hundred photographs illustrate this unusual account, and from documents pieced together, scraps from old church records family histories, letters, daybooks and diaries, a picture of the nineteenth century child emerges.




		Children of the West ISBN 0-393--04913-2 $39.95 Selected as One of the "Best Books of 2001" by the Los Angeles Times "We have been tried by flood, by whirlwind, and by fire. I would like to try something else." -- Esther Whinery Wattles, Children of the West "Mama, how does god make babeys out of clay?" Questioned little Charlie Malick, one of countless frontier children who were loved, coddled, sheltered as best as possible, clothed somewhat, but were still enmeshed in frontier circumstances that were dire indeed. The story of American family life resembles that of the country itself--a people maturing in the new land, starting out in search of freedom, and finding in their quest the ability to "grow up" alongside their children. In Children of the West, the unsung lives of pioneer children are revealed, from tin bottles to rural schoolin; daily work, and favorite games. Over a hundred photographs illustrate this unusual account, and from documents pieced together, scraps from old church records family histories, letters, daybooks and diaries, a picture of the nineteenth century child emerges.