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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Elmina's Journal Entry-Texas-1835


SIXTEEN YEAR OLD YOUNG LADY
By: Celia Yeary
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 Journal Entry: Fall, 1835, Coastal Plains of Texas
Today is my 16th birthday. Mama and I have prepared for this most wondrous occasion for two months. She wanted a beautiful, grown-up dress for me to wear to my party, so she sought the services of Miss Georgia Milam to create a very special gown. No longer shall I wear calico, nor style my hair in braids, nor run and play with my brothers. Ladies do not act in such a manner in our household, for each member is born to a role, and best we carry out our duties or most likely face the wrath of Papa.

Secretly, I shall miss the days of riding my pony bareback across the coastal plains, through our plantation, chasing my brothers, for all four of them can out-race me every time. Ah, well, such is the lot of the female persuasion. Now, my brothers believe they have become my protectors, especially when young gentlemen look my way. Brazoria County fairly bursts with bachelors, young men, some wealthy, some poor, but each one seeking a bride to ensconce in his home.

One young man, Mr. Randolph Long, nears my person at every opportunity, at church services, all-day dinners, and when Mama and I shop in town. Papa forbids me to speak with him alone; as a result, our conversations become awkward, as each of us stumbles on words we know perfectly well. After my party—of which he will attend!—I plan to speak with him as any grown woman may do with any gentleman she wishes.

Worrisome events have surfaced over this part of Texas, though. Papa hears tales in town, at the saloon, the community hall, and the warehouse, and he brings the stories home to share with Mama and my brothers. Of course, they all believe they have protected my delicate ears, but I listen and they do not know.

It seems a crisis of some sort has arisen in Anahuac, a small place not far from our home. I am uncertain of its exact location, but the news is that General Santa Anna sent a small detachment of soldiers to Anahuac to enforce the collection of customs there and in Galveston. The merchants and the wealthy landowners—such as my papa—object to this unfair treatment, and when Papa speaks of the Santa Anna’s army and their ways, he becomes red in the face and begins to pound on the table!

Now, just before my party, he tells of a gathering of Mexican troops, more as the days go by. But the most frightening news comes from Gonzales, where Papa said a Colonel Domingo de Ugartecha, commander of troops in San Antonio, sent five cavalrymen to Gonzales to retrieve the six-pound canon that had been provided four years earlier for defense against the Indians. The Texan officer in charge hid the canon, telling the military he had no authority to give it up. He sent out dispatches calling for military aid.

Four hundred Texans, who worked in a loosely formed military troop, heard the call, turned from their original destination, Goliad, and marched to Gonzales. One hundred Mexican soldiers were already there to seize the canon. But a Colonel Moore and one-hundred and sixty Texans loaded the canon with chains and scrap iron, and strung a banner across it inscribed “Come and Take It. Then the Colonel and his men attacked the Mexican troops, forcing them to retreat to San Antonio. I wanted to cheer! However, I did not wish to reveal my hiding place from which I listened avidly of the exciting battles.

Dread fills my heart, now that I understand what is to come. Papa says we must prepare, put away our frivolous desires for the present, and do our part to secure Texas for ourselves. I can only pray the war does not last too long.

My party will go on, however, and I must end this writing to don my beautiful dark blue silk gown, adorned with a lovely inset of lace, and an ivory brooch at my throat. Handsome coils of braid divide the lace from the silk. Underneath, my pantalets are of the finest linen, and my petticoat is of a fine silk. Mama will arrange my hair atop my head in a manner befitting a grown young woman. I do hope I look beautiful, or at least pretty, for a photographer will capture me in my new gown.
Would it not be magical if someone two hundred years hence finds my photograph and wonders about me?
 Signed--Elmina Ingram
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 !!Special Note from author Celia Yeary: The sixteen-year-old young woman in the photo is one of my real Texas ancestors, but I did not use her real name. I have no idea where she grew up or lived in Texas. I took the date from the photo, 1835, and used historical events of the beginning of the Texas Revolution. The story about my ancestor is fiction, however, a figment of my imagination. I did not find an old journal at all. I wish I had.
I am a Daughter of the Republic of Texas, with two ancestors fought in the war with Mexico for Texas Independence.
~*~*~
Please watch for the Summer Anthology titled Cowboy Cravin's--My short story in it is titled:
STARR HIDALGO.  
All my books can be found at Celia Yeary on Amazon--and Barnes and Noble.
Every novel, novella, or short story is set in Texas.
Thank you.
*****
Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas

29 comments:

  1. Celia, I love how your imagination works. And what a lovely picture! I have some old pics like this of my ancestors, and I just wonder what their lives were like and their hopes and dreams. So neat to see how you acted on it, and put the story behind the picture of your ancestor here!

    I'm so excited about COWBOY CRAVINGS coming out in June. Starr Hidalgo is a great story. I've wondered about her ever since I read your first novel, ALL MY HOPES AND DREAMS, that introduced her. She is an unforgettable character.

    Cheryl

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    1. Cheryl--It's something that just happened. I wrote it off the cuff without thinking, and it almost seemed as though it really was a journal from my ancestor. I think the June anthology will be fun to put out--I can't wait to see what sort of reception we get. Thanks!

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  2. Nice diary entry :-) I also like that you've grabbed Starr to feature in a short story. Best of luck with the anthology!

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    1. LK--did you know Lee King's ranch in Texas Dreamer became the LKRanch? I thought of you every time I saw that I'd used it. I've had Starr in my thoughts for years. She was not a very good person in All My Hopes and Dreams, but she had her reasons.

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  3. The entry sounds very authentic, Celia! You really got into the young girl's head from that time period.

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    1. Thanks, Morgan. Isn't it fun when something just almost writes itself?

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  4. I love old pictures--can study them for hours. What a nice vignette to go along with it! You have the excitement of coming of age and the backdrop of the encroaching war, both life-changing. You captured her voice so well.

    I'm really looking forward to reading your story!

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    1. I've thought I could write a entire sage patterned after Gone With the Wind from this one fictional journal entry. I thank you so much for the compliment.

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  5. Celia, the whole is such a great piece. You can see and hear the young lady and I thank you for taking me on the journey.

    The photo is stunning. Doris

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    1. Thank you, Doris. I appreciate your comment so much! Be sure to visit the PRP blog again. We'll be glad to see you.

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  6. Here in California, the Bear Flag Revolt was inspired by the Texas settlers who fought against Mexican rule. The Mexican-American War was an interesting time in history.

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    1. Wanda--I've heard that. California has its share of wild and wooly tales, and an intriguing history of becoming a great part of the country. Thanks so much for visiting!

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  7. Well done, Celia! You had me convinced. lol No one in my family took the time to journal, but, when my maternal grandmother, whom we call GGG, realized she had an avid listener in me, told stories of growing up on their North Dakota wheat farm. Finally she wrote them down and my sister and I transcribed them, creating a journal of sorts. I treasure those stories.

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    1. Tracy--then you have a very special volume of true stories that no one else would know. I love the book Texas Tears and Texas Sunshine--Voices of Women of Frontier Texas. In their on words. These important women in the settling of Texas wrote on paper sacks, children's tablets, and "in their own words," the stories are fascinating. Thanks.

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  8. What a super way to tie in history with the "every day" life. Great job, Celia. And I love old pictures. Cleaning out my mom's old house brought me a treasure trove of antique pix. Sadly few are marked with who, where and when. So I let my imagination go into overdrive. Xo

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  9. How wonderful that you had that picture of your ancestor. I love the way you wove history and imagination around her picture. When I read it, I thought she actually wrote that in a diary. You are a writer of the first order, Celia. I thoroughly enjoyed your blog.

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    1. Wow, Sarah--I always love to read your comments. You do know how to make a person feel good--and I do need a little of that right now.
      Thanks so much.

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  10. Oh Celia, I absolutely loved your blog today. What a wonderful story to share with us. It seemed so real. That we were there with her as she spoke about her place in her family and her dreams of finding a young man.

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    1. Hi, Barb! Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm so pleased you liked the girl's story. In researching a little for the physical area of Texas, I realized that S. Texas had cotton plantations back then, just as the South did. Odd to really understand that.

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  11. Oh, Celia, I hope you continue with Elmina's journal entries. It would be fun to read where your imagination takes you as she matures. I've got my fingers crossed that a romance blossoms for her with Mr. Randolph Long.

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    1. Kaye--you know, that's a great idea! I might try that. I'm also toying with the idea now of writing a novel about "Elmina."
      Thanks so much for visiting.

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  12. Thanks, Tanya! It was fun.
    Old photos--my sisters and I found a pretty big stack of vintage photos.
    They are in our archives--which is a closet in my sister's house. But when we first found them, we sorted and resorted and selected 15 very important ones and took them to a shop to have them reproduced three times. This was, each of us had our own vintage copies, and the originals are in acid proof sleeves in the closet.
    It's beginning to dawn on me that there are real stories to make into fiction.

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  13. Oh Celia, I loved this. I really want to know what happened to Miss Elmina Ingram.

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  14. Hi, Livia--I guess I'll have to write her story! Thanks for having me on the blog.

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  16. Celia, I enjoyed this post immensely. I don't believe I have read any of your other work in first person (and I've read it all, haven't I?) and I think you should try this again because you do it so well. I agree with the other comments here than Elmina deserves her own book. And I think there is a Mister Right waiting in the wings to win her heart. I'm not sure Mr. Long is that person. I think there is a "manly man" out there someplace who will not be as proper who will sweep her off her feet.

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  17. Hi, Linda--I so glad you enjoyed it. You're right--I never write in first person, and why this came to me I don't know. I wrote it, I think, three years ago for a Sweethearts post, so it is a recycled post. I'm flattered you think I did it well. An entire story written like this? I'm not sure about that. But I do like the idea of using her and the setting and events as a novel. And,oh, yes! She should have a "manly man!"

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  18. The photo is crisp and beautiful, evocative of the times as is your writing. You have given Elmina the perfect voice. In a paranormal view, it is as though you "channeled" her. A piece worthy of the next chapter...and the next.
    Arletta

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    1. Arletta--I thank you so much for your lovely comment and compliment. Yes, I'm beginning to think Elmina should have her own story.

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