Recent Reads – October 2018

Eliza Lucas Pinckney: Colonial Plantation Manager and Mother of American Patriots 1722-1793 – Margaret Pickett

I really enjoyed this biography on Eliza Lucas Pinckney. After moving to the United States as a teenager, Eliza spearheaded the cultivation of indigo as a cash crop in South Carolina. She also managed her family’s plantations while her father was away serving in the British Army. Eliza married an older widower and had three children. Her sons (Charles Cotesworth and Thomas) became prominent politicians in the early American government and were candidates for the presidency and vice presidency. While it’s not the lengthiest biography, it’s a solid read.

Henry VIII’s Last Love: The Extraordinary Life of Katherine Willoughby, Lady-in-Waiting to the Tudors – David Baldwin

This biography looks at the life of a woman whom many consider to have been Henry VIII’s possible seventh wife. Katherine Willoughby, a baroness in her own right and Duchess of Suffolk, was the daughter of one of Katherine of Aragon’s closest ladies-in-waiting and her English husband. Instead of marrying a son of Charles Brandon and Princess Mary Tudor, Katherine married Charles himself and became his next Duchess. She led a fascinating life at the heart of the Tudor court, dealt with the deaths of her husband and her two teenage sons, and became a committed evangelist. If you like reading about members of the Tudor court beyond the royal family, you’ll definitely want to check this out.

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West – Stephen Ambrose

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the Lewis and Clark expedition. While it is a biography about Meriwether Lewis, it gives a pretty comprehensive history of the actual expedition. I really enjoyed this book and learned tons about Lewis and Clark. The most surprising fact was that Meriwether Lewis killed himself shortly after the expedition’s successful completion.

Nathanael Greene: A Biography of the American Revolution – Gerald Carbone

Another recent read was one of my biographies on Nathanael Greene. Nathanael Greene became one of the most important generals in the Revolution. Originally from Rhode Island, he rose through the ranks of the Continental Army and joined Washington’s inner circle. Greene’s most impactful service came when he took over the Southern Department of the Army. He was mainly responsible for the campaign that ultimately ended with the siege of Yorktown. Tragically, Nathanael Greene died rather young a few years after the Revolution on his plantation in Georgia.

The Titled Americans: Three American Sisters and the British Aristocratic World into Which They Married – Elisabeth Kehoe

This biography looks at the lives of the Jerome sisters, American heiresses who married into the British aristocracy. The most famous of them, Jennie, became the mother of Winston Churchill. The book really dives into their lives and how the “cash for class” phenomenon impacted their lives. As with many of the million dollar princesses, none of the Jerome sisters lived happily ever after. It was an interesting read, even if (at times) you want to go back in time and smack some of them upside the head.

What have you been reading lately?

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