Friday, December 27, 2013

Montana Yuletides by my GGGrandmother Martha Edgerton Rolfe Plassmann


In an unpublished manuscript,

Montana Yuletides,

Martha Edgerton Rolfe Plassmann, daughter of Montana's First Territorial Governor, 
Sidney Edgerton, 
and my maternal Great, Great Grandmother,
 described her memories of two Christmas celebrations, 

one through the eyes of a disgruntled teen and the other through the eyes of a young mother.


In the opinion of her teenage self, Martha’s first Christmas in Montana was a decidedly unsuccessful affair:


“In Bannack our wishes were not consulted regarding what presents we would like. The merchants did not… cater to the Christmas trade. It was all they could do to provide the absolute necessities, and they often failed to supply these in winter. There were no eggs; no vegetables, no butter; and little in the food line except beef and game.

[That Christmas in Bannack] we hung our stockings as usual on Christmas Eve, but not under the mantle or before the rough stone fireplace that was our only source of warmth. We dangled [them] from some spot near the fireplace, making a goodly show. Having done our part, we went to bed with the full determination to rise betimes, which we did. It was bitterly cold-with the thermometer more depressed than it had ever been in our Ohio home. We scarcely noticed…in our anxiety to investigate the contents of our hosiery. Sitting on the floor before the bright fire that made the room fairly warm … in spots … we examined our presents. I do not remember what the other children had—their gifts did not interest me. Mine—I shall never forget—consisted of a pair of stout shoes. Was I grateful? Not a bit of it. I loathed those shoes, and the Christmas of 1863 was a distinct failure, so far as I was concerned. Like most children, I believed it to be the duty of parents to clothe their children. Shoes coming in that category, I saw no reason why I should regard them as a present!"

Her experience as a young mother in the winter of 1883, trying to please her children during a lonely isolated Christmas on the family homestead outside of Great Falls, takes a very different tone:

“In December of 1883 at the near approach of the holiday season, Mr. Rolfe was out on one of his business affairs; the weather, with its usual Montana uncertainty, becoming colder, making it doubtful when he would return. We were living in a small farm house on our homestead claim on the side of the hill above town, near the old state road. We were supplied with food, but my husband expecting to be back before Christmas had made no preparation for Christmas, nor did he leave me any money to do so. I could not walk to town, and I had two little girls and a baby to be made happy on the Day of Days. I could not disappoint them. A tree would be a delight…but there was no tannenbaum nearer than the Highwoods. I thought and thought…in front of our house we planted the previous summer two small cottonwood trees…unfortunately being unwatered, they promptly gave up the ghost. Armed with a meat saw, I attacked the shapelier of the two and soon laid it low. I then [found] some evergreen growing in draws not far away. Gathering an armful of this, I wrapped it about the dead limbs, fastening it with thread and behold! The tree was ready, but where were the ornaments, lights and toys? Once more resourceful, I brought out my rag bag. Some black silk stockings were converted into a … [doll] family, well clothed and wearing plenty of jewelry devised from discarded hat trimmings. Next came decorations consisting of popcorn together with whatever could serve the purpose from the rag bag and old hats. But who ever heard of a Christmas tree unlighted! Tallow candles cut into short lengths and fastened to the tree with considerable difficulty, provide the lighting. Bags of home-made candy and the smaller gifts hung on the tree, the rest piled at its base. The candles lighted, the door opened and the children entered; their eyes large with wonder and delight. I think they never saw a more enjoyable Christmas, and I know I never did, from witnessing their pleasure!”

Martha Edgerton, born in 1849, first came to Montana in the winter of 1863 with her parents, Sidney and Mary Wright Edgerton. In August 1876, she married fellow teacher Herbert Percy Rolfe, who became editor of the Great Falls Leader. In 1895 Herbert died and Martha assumed the editorship. In October 1895, Martha married her business manager Theodore Plassmann, but was widowed again by the following fall. Martha undertook a series of business ventures, including life insurance sales, poetry writing, and cattle ranching. She wrote articles for the Missoulian, assisted in the election of Lewis Duncan as mayor of Butte, and participated in the Missoula IWW free speech fight. In the 1920s she began writing historical articles for the Great Falls Tribune and the Montana News Association, basing many upon her own experiences. Martha Edgerton Rolfe Plassmann died on September 25, 1936, in Great Falls, at the age of 86.

My Great, Great Grandmother’s writings are one of many collections in the Montana Historical Society Research Center. I've only ever been able to research online but it is a dream of mine to one day travel there and read the records they hold of my relatives in person. 

Source: Martha Edgerton Plassmann Papers, 1863-1939 (MC 78, Box 4)


Thursday, December 19, 2013

Happy Holidays Harper Impulse


Do You Remember The Making of Us?

I Found You that Sinfully Summer, that Loving Summer, the Summer of Surrender and offered you The Illicit Love of a Courtesan. We shared One Kiss, The First Kiss and then I lost The Passionate Love of a Rake. That’s The Trouble with Mojitos, one night I was All Wrapped Up in You,
Falling in love, only concerned with if it would be Your Room or Mine, but the next morning I was Waking up in Vegas alone.

Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door.  Hope soared.  For a second, I thought you had returned until a woman called out,


Did Someone Order Room Service?

What's a Girl to Do?  Say it with Sequins: The Rumba? No, I couldn’t escape into dance and live in Sound Bites. You were The Best Thing I Never Had, well briefly had, and I couldn’t forget The Last Kiss.

My Wing Girl advised moving on, told me How to Win a Guy in 10 Dates and all about The Park Bench Test but I didn’t want to be the Manhattan Millionaire's Cinderella. Trust in Me, I knew Plus One is a Lucky Number and I wanted Loving Winter Nights with The Outlaw of Cedar Ridge 
Forever.

For a chance at a Loving Christmas, a Loving New Year, and to flip through The High Street Bride's Guide 
someday, I sought out The Keepers: Sienna and Archer. Through them, I learned Something Wicked separated us, how Lipstick On His Collar caused Braedric's Bane which led to Caedmon's Curse and the loss of Candra's Freedom.

Returning us to the United States of Love required braving the Forbidden. I traveled Beyond Grace's Rainbow and used Rowena's Key to find The Songbird and the Soldier. They had me listen to the Confessions of a Chalet Girl and learn all the Secrets of her Revenge.

I knew then that The Kiss Before Christmas would unleash the healing magic of true love. Decked out in my holiday best and determined not to repeat The First Christmas Without You, I confided in The Lawman of Silver Creek that my Santa Wore Leathers.  He directed me to the party for 
Christmas at Thornton Hall.

I arrived On the Scent of holiday cheer, pine boughs and spiced wine, bearing A Stocking Full of Romance. As the clock struck midnight, I Found You again and, with tears of joy wetting my cheeks, asked you please Kiss Me on This Cold December Night.

And we lived happily ever after.





Happy Holidays Harper Impulse


Sunday, December 8, 2013

12 Days of Christmas Tour with Jane Lark

12 Days of Christmas Tour with Jane Lark 12 Days Banner Final
Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas Tour with Jane Lark.
After signing with publisher Harper Impulse, Jane, author of the smash-hit Marlow Intrigues series, has decided to end 2013 with a bang! She’s gathered together some of the industry’s best authors to create one enormous Christmas giveaway.
The huge prize is made up of more than 30 books, a combination of signed paperbacks and eBooks, and two gorgeous book bags. It’s the perfect early Christmas present for any bookworm and all you’ve got to do to win is feast your eyes on the details below and enter via the Rafflecopter . . .
To kick off the prizes, Jane is giving away copies of her much loved The Illicit Love of a Courtesan and its highly anticipated follow-up The Passionate Love of a Rake
 
NEWBookCoverQuote_IllicitLove NEWBookCover_PassionateLove
Jane's books have been a huge hit with fans, leading to an ever-increasing fan base and comments such as:
"Jane Lark has an amazing talent to draw the reader in from the first page onwards."
- CosmoChickLitan
And to celebrate her upcoming December release of NA novel I Found You, you could also win a unique rucksack.
The book is already causing excitement among readers and looks set to be the must-read NA of 2014.
 
IMG_1140[1] NEWBookCover_IFoundYou
 
But that's not all folks! As if Jane's books weren't enough, check out the other amazing books included in the prize pot, you're sure to find one or two of your fav authors getting involved . . .
 
12 Days of Christmas TP
  12 Days of Christmas TP2  
Entry to Jane Lark's 12 Days of Christmas giveaway extravaganza is easy, just follow the authors on Facebook or Twitter, plus maybe give the comp a shout-out tweet (or two) all via the Rafflecopter below and you're golden. But don't forget to keep your fingers crossed too!
  a Rafflecopter giveaway
Please take a moment to read through the giveaway terms and conditions:
This is an international giveaway.
Signed paperbacks are to be sent from the authors themselves. Jane Lark, BestChickLit and/or any authors involved accept no responsibility for delivery failures. The winner must be open to accepting eBooks in any format i.e. Kindle copies and via iTunes voucher, from different sources. In the event of .mobi copies, the winner must have an Amazon Kindle account and be prepared to add selected addresses as approved emails on their Personal Document settings.
Some of the books involved in the giveaway contain adult and sexual content and this should be taken into consideration before reading. Jane Lark, BestChickLit, Harper Impulse and any of the participating authors are free to amend any of the giveaway details at any time.
Good luck!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

The Lawman of Silver Creek is OUT!

Fancy a sexy cowboy?  

Ride into Fir Mountain in
Silver Creek County, Oregon.

The Men of Fir Mountain: Book 2 a novella
The Lawman of Silver Creek is out today!
Read an excerpt here
And please stop by Facebook event in celebration of my Men of Fir Mountain.


I have one last giveaway!

Don't miss out on your last chance to win
a $10.00 Amazon gift card.

Enter my The Men of Fir Mountain: The Lawman of Silver Creek giveaway Nov. 20 - Dec. 03


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...