Homestead: An Epic Rich with Emotion in the Post Civil War South

Homestead by Betsy Bishop Thomas gives an intimate look at the struggles and triumphs of people living in rural Northwest Florida in the late 1800s. With no conveniences at their rustic, hand-built homes, and with outside communication only by horseriders or the firing of a gun to indicate an emergency, people turned inward - relying on their families almost entirely. The nearest doctor is many hours away by horseback. Trips to a faraway towns store or to an equally faraway church are rare. Letters sent to or from the post office might be months reaching their destination. Their food comes almost entirely from animals and poultry raised on the homestead and crops grown on the acreage. Bathing is done in a washtub, when theres enough rainwater. The women work just as hard as the men - sometimes inside the houses, sometimes outside in the fields and the barns. Gossip is pervasive, perhaps an entertaining respite from the rigors of daily life. Yet, when trouble looms or help is needed, neighbors rally. Thomas follows the lives of Nate and Melissa York, from the time of their meeting, through their marriage with all its hardships and difficulties, including the death of their first baby, up until the time their home becomes a haven for children previously mistreated in other environments. Nate cant read or write, but Melissa, 17 years younger, teaches him, and both eventually come to share a full understanding of religious faith after a series of tragedies and mishaps tests their beliefs. But while Nate and Melissa may get top billing, the roster of other people also is large. The authors narrative peels back the many layers of the various characters heroics, as well as their shortcomings and perversities, demonstrating, sometimes graphically, that these "good old days" were all too often something far from good. Not all the characters are human. There is Dewey, Nates horse, in particular, who is truly like a brother to the man, whose parents lost their lives in a criminal attack when he was just a child. Overall, its an interesting read, not just for those who may have been raised in rural environments, but for anyone who likes to explore character development interwoven with a regional lifestyle, speech patterns and culture