"It is an excellent thing for every young person of literary inclination to begin early the collection of a private library. I do not see why women should not make this an object in life." |
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Jennie Churchill was the model for the vivacious Theresa Delaroux in my novel A Trip and a Tumble, Book V of the Tales of Chetzemoka. The following details of how she inspired the character appear in an appendix at the end of the story:
From Appendix V of A Trip and a Tumble:
To write about a Victorian socialite I needed a model. I chose one of my favorite figures from the period, Jennie Jerome Churchill. Often unfairly relegated to a minor footnote, Jennie deserves far better than to simply be dismissed as "Winston Churchill's American mother". Jennie was already famous in her own right when she married Lord Randolph Churchill in 1874; indeed, she was arguably more famous than her aristocratic British husband.
Jennie was a fascinating, vivacious lady with regal poise, a fiesty sense of humor, and boundless energy. Besides her beauty and intelligence Jennie was known for her stamina[1] . She was also a skilled artist (her paintings were thought good enough for a professional[2]) and an excellent writer. Her memoir, The Reminiscences of Lady Randolph Churchill, makes for wonderfully engaging reading and I highly recommend it to anyone. All of Theresa's lines in A Trip and A Tumble are things I can picture Jennie saying, and in some cases (such as when she describes people as "deficient in humor and not overburdened with brains") her witticisms are cribbed directly from Jennie's memoir. Many of the terms used to describe Theresa are cribbed from various biographies of Jennie.
Jennie was rumored to be part Iroquois on her mother's side. Whether she was or wasn't is a matter of rather snarky debate in certain circles and academics will probably never reach consensus on this matter. Jennie's descendants believe it to be true: for an article written by Jennie's great-grandson about his American ancestors, see <https://www.winstonchurchill.org/resources/myths/churchills-american-heritage/>. One thing everyone does seem to agree on is that Jennie's mother was dubbed "Sitting Bull" by her daughters' suitors, partly in reference to her strongly Indian features but mostly because of the silently brooding way she would chaperone Jennie and her sisters' romantic encounters.
Besides Jennie's own memoir, I would also recommend the biography written by her grandson Peregrine Churchill, Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill, A Portrait in Letters. As one of Jennie's descendants Peregrine had access to the private Churchill family archives and his book contains many excerpts from Jennie's letters as well as from the absolutely beautiful love letters Lord Randolph wrote to her.
[1] Martin, p. xi.
[2] Source: Baker, F. Leslie. "Transplanted American Beauty", The Cosmopolitan, September, 1890, p. 526.
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January 10, 1840: Penny post introduced in Britain.
Image courtesy http://www.historylink.org/File/5029
January 11, 1818: Happy birthday, James G. Swan! Swan lived with and wrote about the aboriginal tribes of the Pacific Northwest in the mid 19th-century. His writings have been, and continue to be, very useful to me in understanding the cultures of the region as I write my Tales of Chetzemoka series.
An excerpt from the glossary of A Trip and a Tumble, Book V of the Tales of Chetzemoka:
"…The spelling [of the word Passaieux, meaning "French" in aboriginal trade jargon] used here was found in James G. Swan's book The Northwest Coast (1857). Swan reports: "Formerly the Americans had a very extensive trade of furs on the Northwest Coast, and this was carried on principally by the merchants of Boston. The Indians, hearing the name of Boston so often repeated, supposed that to be the name of the country these people and ships came from; consequently, all Americans are to this day [1857] called by the Northwest Coast Indians Boston tillicums, or Boston people. English, Scotch, and Irish are called King George People, and the French, Passaieux. The derivation of this last term… is undoubtedly [derived from] some Canadian French patois word."[1]
Orthography of trade jargon words varied substantially between different sources. As Swan put it, "no two writers of Indian words fully agree as to the proper method of spelling."[2] Among many other alternatives, this word was also spelled "pasiuks"[3]; and "pasai-ooks".[4]
British ethnographer Horatio Hale attributes the word's origin to a mispronunciation of the French "Français" by people unable to pronounce f, r, or nasal n sounds. However, this explanation seems questionable since Swan, who lived at close quarters with Northwest tribes for a number of years, reported their extreme linguistic skills: "The Indians are very quick to detect any difference in the intonation or method of pronunciation of the whites, and sometimes think we speak different languages. An Indian asked me one day (while pointing to a cow) what was the name we called that animal. I told him cow. He said that he had just asked another white man, and he called it a caow. By this means, different Indians who have been with the whites acquire a habit of pronouncing such English words as they pick up in the same style and manner as the person from whom they learn them."[5]
[1] Swan, James G., The Northwest Coast. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1857. pp. 95—96.
[2] Swan, ibid, p. 308.
[3] Hale, Horatio. An International Idiom: A Manual of the Oregon Trade Language. London, Whittaker & Co., 1890. p. 8.
[4] Bryce, George. The Remarkable History of the Hudson's Bay Company. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1900. p. 410.
[5] Swan, ibid., pp. 308—309.
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January 24, 1839: Texas officially adopts their Lone Star flag.
January 24, 1848: Gold discovered near San Francisco during the building of a sawmill. This was not yet the start of the '49 gold rush, but it was a small glimpse of greater things to come. <http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist/chron1.html> <http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist2/gold.html>
January 26, 1855: Treaty of Point No Point signed at Hahdskus on the Kitsap Peninsula, Washington Territory. This treaty between aboriginal tribes and the U.S. government guaranteed tribes the right to fish in their usual and accustomed grounds for all time. Asserting this right would become a point of major importance during the 20th-century Civil Rights movement in the Pacific Northwest, and it continues to have both environmental and political ramifications today.
Gabriel's paper on the topic:
Uncompromising Activism:
The Fish-In Protests at Frank's Landing.
Read this award-winning research paper:
Fish-in Protests at Frank's Landing
Listen to Gabriel being interviewed about this subject:
"'Schelangen,' But Also A Right": http://kuow.org/post/schelangen-also-right
Another of Gabriel's award-winning research papers on the history of Pacific Northwest tribes:
The Port Madison Area in the 1870s and 1880s:
An Integrated Community
Image from Native American Wives of San Juan Settlers by Karen Jones-Lamb
Aboriginal culture in the Tales of Chetzemoka:
Indian wives of early settlers, an excerpt from Delivery Delayed
"The Oldest Families", an excerpt from Appendix VI of A Trip And A Tumble
Image from Native American Wives of San Juan Island Settlers.
Tacee "Little Bird", an excerpt from Appendix VI of A Trip and a Tumble
January 28, 1888: Lunar eclipse.
"Watching an Eclipse
Winkie and Blinkie sat up one night,
To see an eclipse of the moon;
But Winkie, he winked,
And Blinkie, he blinked.
And they said, "If it don't come soon"--
Then suddenly out o'er a misty sea,
They sailed in a star balloon;
And losing the track,
They never came back,
Till a voice cried, "Children, 'tis noon!"
—Mrs. J.T. Greenleaf, Good Housekeeping, Sept. 1893.
Note: Mark your calendars for a lunar eclipse the night of February 20-21, 2019!
January 28, 1887: Construction begins on Eiffel Tower in Paris.
January 29, 1861: Kansas becomes a state
January 31, 1865: The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (abolishing slavery) is passed by the House of Representatives. It had already passed the Senate on April 8, 1864; it would be approved by President Lincoln on February 1, 1865 and ratified on December 6th, 1865.
Special days in January:
Image courtesy https://outofthisworldx.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/image202.jpg?w=290
January 1: New Year's Day —time to go to another year!
Books as Time Machines, Historical Fiction Authors As Tour Guides: An Essay
January 6, 2019: Epiphany
January 20-21, 2019: Mark your calendars for a lunar eclipse!
January 21, 2019: Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
I was born in King County, Washington state, the same county where Seattle is located. The county was originally named after Vice President William Rufus de Vane King. In 1986 the county's name was changed from King County to (er...) King County! It is now officially named after Martin Luther King Jr., human rights advocate.
People interested in human rights history will enjoy this piece by the BBC, comparing modern slavery with the historic variety:
"Slave Labor and Consumer Power: The Long View" http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06sgxg5
January 24th: The feast day of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers!
"The author himself must live through what he describes."
—Wolstan Dixey, 1889.
The Trade of Authorship, 1889. p. 111.
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"Every new book must have, in the consciousness of its author, a private history that, like the mysteries of romance, would if unfolded have an interest for the reader, and by unveiling the inner life of the volume show its character and tendencies."
—Sarah Josepha Hale, 1866.
Manners, 1866, p. 3.
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"The author is, as we must ever remember, of peculiar organisation. He is a being born with a predisposition which with him is irresistible, the bent of which he cannot in any way avoid, whether it directs him to the abstruse researches of erudition or induces him to mount into the fervid and turbulent atmosphere of imagination."
—Benjamin Disraeli, 1868.
"Speech at Royal Literary Fund Dinner, May 6, 1868." Wit and Wisdom of Benjamin Disraeli, 1880, p. 16.
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"An author is a solitary being, who, for the same reason he pleases one, must consequently displease another."
—Isaac Disraeli, 1859.
Literary Character of Men of Genius. 1859, p. 301.
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"The pen is the tongue of the hand: a silent utterer of words for the eye."
—Henry Ward Beecher, 1862.
Eyes and Ears, 1862, p. 245.
My writing den: http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/sarahs-writing-den.html
Writing tools: http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/writing-tools.html
Tour of my writing den:
January 28: Happy birthday to my darling Gabriel!
PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN JANUARY
From Isabella Beeton's The Book of Household Management, 1893 edition
Vegetables - Jerusalem artichokes, beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, asparagus and cucumbers (forced), endive, lettuces, parsnips, potatoes, savoys, spinach, turnips, - various herbs.
Fruit - Apples, grapes, medlars, nuts, oranges, pears, crystallized preserves (foreign), dried fruits and raisins, plums (French and Spanish), prunes, figs, dates, filberts, walnuts, almonds and Brazil nuts.
In a seaport town in the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest, a group of friends find themselves drawn together —by chance, by love, and by the marvelous changes their world is undergoing. In the process, they learn that the family we choose can be just as important as the ones we're born into. Join their adventures in
The Tales of Chetzemoka
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December
The music of the brook is hushed,
Its restless motion stilled;
The leaves are faded, fallen, crushed,
The air with frost is filled;
The leafless trees look strange and lone,
And wildly toss their arms and moan.
The black-bird's notes of sturdy cheer
From out the tree-tops ring;
To drape the earth the clouds draw near,
A fleecy garment bring.
And wrapped in folds of purest white,
We bid the dear old year "Good-night."
—Sarah E. Howard
Good Housekeeping, December 8, 1888, p. 65.
This poem appears with others like it in my anthology,
A Christmas Wish
Victorian Winter Poetry for Christmas and New Year's
A Christmas Wish
Had I power to give to you
Many a rich and costly gem,
Fit, in brilliancy of hue,
To adorn a diadem,
I'd bestow the jewels rare
On some other friend less dear,
While for you I'd breathe a prayer,
Such as I do offer here.
Many a merry Christmas, friend,
Health, contentment, joy and bliss;
More delights in thought I send
Than I can convey in this.
With the now departing year
May your cares and sorrows cease;
May the new one, drawing near,
Bring you happiness and peace.
—S. Conant Foster
Outing and The Wheelman, 1883, p. 292.
This poem appears with others like it in my anthology,
A Christmas Wish
Victorian Winter Poetry for Christmas and New Year's
A great gift —buy it on Amazon!
"Christmas morning at Mother's bedroom door." Illustration from the cover of Peterson's Magazine, December, 1883. Scanned from an original in our private archive. Please see below for terms of use.
Copy of the same picture, colored by hand.
Get this on a holiday card or a bag
This picture became the cover of my anthology,
A Christmas Wish
Victorian Winter Poetry for Christmas and New Year's
Terms of use for images:
Private individuals, personal use: Include a link to this website <www.ThisVictorianLife.com> when you re-post or share any pictures from our website, and you may do so free of charge.
Commercial use or publication of images: Please contact us about fees for commercial use and high-resolution images
"Among all the days we celebrate Christmas stands first and foremost in our thoughts, the holiday of holidays. Coming in the season of frost and snow it brings a cheering warmth to our hearts that defies the icy atmosphere, and the feeling of kindliness and good will toward everyone, which it awakens, seems in response to the words the angels sang on our first Christmas, "On earth peace, good will toward man."... Though we are Americans, our ancestors came from many lands, and we therefore have a right and claim to any custom we may admire in other countries. We may take our Christmas celebrations from any people who observe the day and combining many, evolve a celebration which in its variety will be truly American." —Lina Beard and Adelia Beard. "The American Girls' Handy Book" 1895. pp. 317-318.
Some Christmas trees at our house: http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/our-christmas-tree
Christmas stories:
A Pine-Cone Christmas (1890)
A Midwinter-Night's Dream (1883)
Santa Claus in Our Village (1889)
A Christmas Wish (Poem—1883)
A Christmas Glee (Poem—1890)
Christmas Pensees (Poem—1890)
Christmas images: Victorian Christmas Collection
Now bring us some...
FIG PUDDING
Plymouth Union Cook Book, 1894. p. 86.
"One pound of figs cut fine, imported ones are best but dried domestic ones will answer, one and a half pounds of bread crumbs, one-half pound chopped suet [vegetarian alternative: 8 oz coconut oil, melted and mixed into bread crumbs], twelve ounces moist sugar [brown sugar], a little nutmeg [1 tsp.], two eggs, one teacup of milk. Mix all together and steam four hours [in a pudding bag]."
HARD SAUCE for puddings
Plymouth Union Cook Book, 1894. p.98
"Beat one egg and half a cup of sugar until very light, then add two tablespoons of softened butter; beat until it will stay piled on a plate; grate in a little nutmeg and put in a very cold place until served."
Ginger Drop Cakes
The Ladies' Society of the Plymouth Congregational Church. Plymouth Union Cook Book, Los Angeles, California: Rostrum Publishing Company, 1894. p. 74.
"Put two tablespoons of hot water and two tablespoons of melted butter in a cup, and fill with molasses. Add two cups of flour, not heaped, and one even teaspoon of soda, with all kinds of spices. The black molasses is the best for these. Drop on buttered tins and bake."
Note: these are the cookies that Addie gives to Mary Breagan in Delivery Delayed, and this 19th-century recipe appears in the back of the book!
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White Fruit Cake
By Mrs. W.S. Standish, Plymouth Union Cook Book, 1894. pp. 56-57.
"Stir to a cream one pound of butter and one pound of powdered sugar. Add the beaten yolks of twelve eggs, one pound of flour and two teaspoons of baking powder. Grate one cocoanut, blanch and chop one-half pound of almonds, and slice one-half pound of citron, stir into the stiffly beaten white of the eggs and add to the batter. Put in pan lined with buttered paper, and bake slowly two hours."
CRANBERRY SAUCE (WHOLE)
From Catering for Two, by Alice L. James. G.P. Putnam's Sons: New York and London. (no date) p. 178
"Pick over and wash two cupfuls of fine cranberries. Put them in an earthen dish, pour over a cup of sugar, add a cupful of boiling water, cover, and cook gently nearly an hour. Serve hot or cold."
Christmas in Chetzemoka…
"…The party with the cycling club on Christmas Eve was quite a joyous occasion, was it not? Such a fine tree the Simmons had up at Mr. Hayes' house! Even in Germany I never saw such an enormous Christmas tree. But then, I lived in a large city in my homeland, and trees are so plentiful here in Washington Territory. What was it Ken said about Christmas trees, "The bigger the better"? I'm sure it was something like that. The games which Addie Simmons had us play were all new to me. I found "Ready Rhyme" very difficult. I confess that I did not like it much —although, my dear schoolteacher, you are probably correct in saying that it was good practice for my English. You have always been so very calm in helping me find the proper words when I falter. I suppose you take pity on this stumbling man, and for that I am grateful to you.
The "Aviary" game was quite amusing, when we all secretly marked ourselves down as birds on slips of paper then, from the list of bird names read out by Dr. Brown, chose to which bird we would give our heart, to which we would tell a secret, and from which we would pluck a feather. Did you guess that I had chosen the cormorant when you said you would give that bird your heart?…" —Excerpted from Delivery Delayed, Book IV in the Tales of Chetzemoka
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The games which the club plays at the Christmas party in the story are taken from a real book of 19th-century parlor games, and the instructions are included in Delivery Delayed's appendix. Here's a sneak peek at them for your holiday enjoyment. Have fun!
"Ready Rhyme", pp. 257—258:
"This game should not be attempted by very young players, as it most likely would prove tedious to many of them; but to those who are fond of exercising their ingenuity, it will prove very amusing. Two, four, or more words, are written on paper, and given to each player: the words must be such as would rhyme together; thus, suppose the party have chosen "near, clear, dell, bell," all endeavor to make a complete verse, of which the words given shall compose the rhyme.
When all are ready, the papers must be thrown in a heap, and read aloud, and those who have not succeeded must be fined, the fine being the recital of a piece of poetry, or any of the numerous forfeits we give in another place. One of the papers might be read thus:
A gentle brook was murmuring near,
Afar was heard the tinkling bell,
And peaceful zephyrs, pure and clear,
Refreshed us in that shady dell.
Another would be quite different:
Fairies in the distant dell,
As they drink the waters clear,
From the yellow cowslip bell,
What have they to heed or fear?""
"The Aviary", pp. 206—207,
"A keeper is first chosen, and then all the company assume the names of different birds, which they communicate to the keeper, but do not make known to each other. The keeper then sets down the names of the players, with that of the birds they severally represent, lest he should make any mistake, and opens the game in a bombastic strain, somewhat similar to the following:--
"Beautiful ladies and brave gentlemen. Regardless of toil, trouble, or expense, I have collected together the most magnificent aviary ever seen in this or any other part of the habitable globe. My birds are distinguished by the beauty of their plumage, form, and color; the melody of their voices, and their general intelligence." He then repeats the names of the birds thought upon, and expresses his desire to know which of his birds are objects of affection or antipathy to the company. Turning to the nearest lady, he says--
"To which of my birds will you give your heart?"
"To which will you reveal your secret?"
"From which will you pluck a feather?"
The lady may probably reply--
"I will give my heart to the eagle.
"I will tell my secret to the nightingale."
"I will pluck a feather from the owl."
The keeper makes a note of these dispositions, and then addresses the same questions to a gentleman, who may reply--
"I will give my heart to the dove."
"I will tell my secret to the lark."
"I will pluck a feather from the bird of paradise."
When any player says he will give his heart to a bird named by another for the same gift, or which is not in the keeper's list, he must pay a forfeit, and make a new choice; and, if he makes a similar mistake a second time, he must pay another forfeit. The game being one solely depending upon memory, the players must pay great attention to the list of birds, when read by the keeper, and to the choice of those who speak first.
When all have answered, the keeper announces the names of the persons represented by the birds, and commands each to salute the bird to which his or her heart was given,—to whisper a secret to the one thought worthy of such confidence, and receive a forfeit from the one whose feather was plucked.
The players are forbidden to give their hearts or secrets to themselves, under penalty of a forfeit, or desire to pluck their own feathers under a penalty of two."
Delivery Delayed
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When you buy one of my books for someone, you're not just giving them a gift, you're also giving me the best gift you possibly can —the ability to make a living doing what I've always wanted to do. Thank you, and may the blessings of the season be upon you.
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Author: Sarah A. Chrisman(Known around Port Townsend as "The Victorian Lady" |
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