In the spirit of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, as well as the celebration of Women’s History Month, the genealogical highlight for this week is the book North Carolina Women of the Confederacy by Lucy London Anderson (Wilmington, NC: Winoca Press, 2006 rev.).
Although this book is a historical text, we have it in the genealogy collection because of the hundreds of names mentioned throughout the book listing the contributions of many women in North Carolina to the confederate cause. Genealogical researchers would find the numerous mentions of mothers of soldiers listing both mother and son helpful. There are also many stories full of information on the lives and people involved in the Civil War from North Carolina in the perspective of the women and the homefront.
Historically, this book was originally published in 1926, just 61 years after the end of the Civil War. Some of these accounts of stories may have been first person accounts and the author states in the foreword that the stories she collected and are included have been authenticated. Having a better understanding of the times that our ancestors lived in can give a fuller picture of who our ancestors were.
Thanks for pointing out the usefulness of this publication for its many family references and anecdotes. As the book’s publisher, I want to also point out a very valuable feature in this updated edition: the inclusion of an index. Thanks go to the UDC Chapter #3 of Wilmington for supporting the editorial work on this project, when so many historical texts are often simply reprinted in facsimile form.