Letters to Virginia - Correspondence from three generations of Alexandrians before, during and after

The true story of three families who lived in Alexandria, Virginia from before the Civil War to after World War I. It is an intimate tale of their lives, told by them through hundreds and hundreds of handwritten letters they left behind, uncensored and unread until the 21st century. It is, in effect, the diaries of their daily lives and loves, struggles and accomplishments. It reflects what life was like during those times in America.

In today’s world of instant messaging, letters are becoming obsolete. People are communicating more than ever, but via email, cell phones or other electronic devices. One hundred years ago, hand-written letters were the only way friends and family could stay connected.

When a box of over 800 letters and memorabilia were donated to the Local History/Special Collections Department of the Alexandria (VA) Library in 2000, historian Barb Winters painstakingly organized and arranged these letters, and compiled them into this book for all to enjoy.

Compiling almost 125 years of history, Letters to Virginia is a collection of letters that will fascinate future generations.

Back cover:

Read Letters to Virginia: Correspondence from three generations of Alexandrians before, during and after the Civil Warand discover the love and larceny, triumph and tragedy they knew as told by them through hundreds of personal letters. Here, 15 people share their private lives and their hopes and fears, while drawing the reader into their interpersonal relationships from 1817 to 1940. They tell of war and deadly disease, fleeting fame and fortunes, deep devotion and cruel deception – the same things we experience today.

Meet the Eaches, Fendalls and Tacketts, originally of Alexandria, Virginia, whose letters contain:

• passionate letters of longing between Jack and Nancy Tackett, married 25 years but who only really lived together two of those years and wrote to each other daily;
• a heart-rending letter describing the death of Carrie Eaches from cholera, written by her grieving husband;
• a fascinating description of what it was like to build a railroad track across Virginia and Pennsylvania by Ben Fendall;
• a carefully constructed swindle, couched in loving terms, as Will Fendall systematically stole his sister’s savings and inheritance, to be discovered too late by his family;
• the difficult adjustment of Towny Fendall to the loss of his job during the Civil War, relying on relatives to support him and his family;
• the self-absorbed ramblings of John Eaches, an alcoholic who always felt misunderstood and mistreated;
• the letters of Hector Eaches describing incarceration in a POW camp and later struggles to earn a living as an artist…

…plus other descriptions of daily life, love, and emotions from a typical family of long ago.

Author

When Barb Winters volunteered to sort, read and organize the six boxes of old letters, photos, diaries, and other records dropped off at the Local History/Special Collections Department of the Alexandria Library, she had no idea she would become so involved with the lives of three families from her adopted home that she would devote three years to telling their stories. But she did and she has, relating the personal lives – in their own words – of the Eaches, Fendalls, and Tacketts, their loves and losses, betrayal and survival.

For more information about this author please visit the author's blog at http://www.letterstovirginia.blogspot.com/.