Called by the famed Charles Spurgeon "the greatest of living preachers," John A. Broadus left an indelible signature not only on the Baptist denomination but on a generation. Emerging from the US Civil War as a voice of reason and reconciliation, he traveled, wrote, and tirelessly trained clergy for the urgencies of his time. Compiled by direct descendant Betsy Reeder and based on the words of Broadus and his intimates, Broadus Unbound reveals a complex and unforgettable personality, ablaze with unshakable faith and indomitable willpower. The biography includes never-before-published letters preserved for five generations by the family. Combined with other nineteenth-century writings, the result is an unveiling of the man and his world unlike any previously offered.

Broadus Unbound: The Oversized Will, Intellect, and Influence of a Small Baptist

Biographies & Memoirs

Reeder, Betsy

Leaders & Notable People

Resource Publications (CA)

Shaped by their mountain landscape, as well as each other, imaginative Maylene Farley and Marcus Lilly grow up as close as twin fawns in the mid-nineteenth century. Soon after the threat of a competitor for Maylene’s affection is resolved, their friendship turns to romance. However, Marcus is conscripted by the Confederacy and drawn into the Civil War. On the home front, turmoil reigns as West Virginia succeeds in breaking away from Virginia, turning Confederate turf into a new Union state. Surviving two close calls and a serious illness, Marcus returns at last to Madam’s Creek to find Maylene gaunt almost beyond recognition, a community marred by murder and mistrust, and his family altered by tragedy. But a more devastating shock, completely unexpected, awaits him at the Farley home. Healed from physical damage, Marcus struggles to mend emotionally as the sweet reunion he anticipated is instead a painful wedge growing between him and the refuge—Maylene—he held onto throughout the war. The couple soon learns that the biggest threat to their relationship is not the separation and anxiety imposed by the national conflict; it is something much harder to face head-on… until a remark from a “well-meaning” gossip tears open their shrouded wounds. It is then that a crucial secret is unveiled, and it comes from a source neither Maylene nor Marcus ever considered.

Madam's Creek

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

Canterbury House Publishing

In the 1870s, when Joseph Cook's closest friend is murdered by a man who escapes justice, Joseph quits his thirty-year railroad career and returns to the New River landscape of his youth, hoping to buy a farm, reunite with what's left of his family on Broomstraw Ridge, and find peace. An expert at bridge construction, Joseph finds the bridges he most wants to build surpass his skill, however. His goals are further thwarted by unexpected obstacles and dangers. In addition, a reunion with a childhood friend opens doors to shock, hurt, and possibility. Peace, home, and family have more to do with facing adversity and accepting what Joseph can't attain than staying true to the path he planned. Joseph Cook also learns that justice and love denied can become justice and love won, but delayed--letting go of their pursuit may not equate with giving up. The story is set in the lush mountains of a newly formed county and its burgeoning county seat, Hinton, West Virginia. It stands alone but also serves as a sequel to Madam's Creek, a novel of the Civil War era. Several of the Madam's Creek Lilly-family characters play pivotal roles.

Broomstraw Ridge

United States

Shaped by their mountain landscape, as well as each other, imaginative Maylene Farley and Marcus Lilly grow up as close as twin fawns in the mid-nineteenth century. Soon after the threat of a competitor for Maylene?s affection is resolved, their friendship turns to romance. However, Marcus is conscripted by the Confederacy and drawn into the Civil War. On the home front, turmoil reigns as West Virginia succeeds in breaking away from Virginia, turning Confederate turf into a new Union state. Surviving two close calls and a serious illness, Marcus returns at last to Madam?s Creek to find Maylene gaunt almost beyond recognition, a community marred by murder and mistrust, and his family altered by tragedy. But a more devastating shock, completely unexpected, awaits him at the Farley home. Healed from physical damage, Marcus struggles to mend emotionally as the sweet reunion he anticipated is instead a painful wedge growing between him and the refuge?Maylene?he held onto throughout the war. The couple soon learns that the biggest threat to their relationship is not the separation and anxiety imposed by the national conflict; it is something much harder to face head-on? until a remark from a ?well-meaning? gossip tears open their shrouded wounds. It is then that a crucial secret is unveiled, and it comes from a source neither Maylene nor Marcus ever considered.

Romance

Historical

Canterbury House Publishing, Limited

Salt in Boiling Water

Independently published

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