Prairie Gothic: The Story of a West Texas Family

by Erickson, John R.

• ISBN13: 9781574412000
• ISBN10: 1574412000
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-09-30
• Publisher: Texas A & M Univ Pr

Summary

"Prairie Gothic is rich in Texas history. It is the story of John R. Erickson's family, ordinary people who, through strength of character, found dignity in the challenges presented by nature and human nature. It is also the story of the place instrumental in shaping their lives - the flatland prairie of northwestern Texas that has gone by various names (High Plains, South Plains, Staked Plains, and Llano Estacado), as well as the rugged country on its eastern boundary, often referred to as the "caprock canyonlands."" "One branch of Erickson's family arrived in Texas in 1858, settling in Parker County, west of Weatherford. Another helped establish the first community on the South Plains, the Quaker colony of Estacado. They crossed paths with numerous prominent people in Texas history, Sam Houston, Sul Ross, Charles Goodnight, Cynthia Ann and Quanah Parker, Jim Loving, and a famous outlaw, Tom Ross." "Erickson's research took him into the homes of well-known Texas authors, such as J. Evetts Haley and John Graves. Graves had written about the death of Erickson's great-great grandmother, Martha Sherman. The theme that runs throughout the book is that of family, of four generations' efforts to nurture the values of civilized people: reverence of the written word, honesty, godliness, thrift, and personal relationship. It is the story of pioneer women and their struggles to keep their families together; it is the story of cowboys, outlaws, and Indian raids, told against the background of a harsh environment of droughts, blizzards, and rattlesnakes; and it is universal. Erickson has created a blend of family and regional history."--BOOK JACKET.

Table of Contents

Foreword	x
Preface	xiii
Anna Beth	1	(3)
The Visit	4	(8)
The Quakers	12	(10)
Martha Sherman	22	(11)
Cynthia Ann	33	(8)
Loose Ends	41	(6)
J. Evetts Haley	47	(10)
John Graves	57	(7)
Joe Sherman	64	(16)
Max Coleman Remembers	80	(5)
The Sherman Family	85	(7)
Rachel and George Singer	92	(7)
The End of the Quaker Dream	99	(5)
Gaines County	104	(5)
Mable	109	(8)
Joe Sherman's Death	117	(10)
The Currys	127	(9)
Tom Ross	136	(12)
Milt Good	148	(14)
Roger Sherman	162	(5)
Roy, Burt, and Olive	167	(7)
Decline	174	(4)
Grandmother's Funeral	178	(9)
And Then There Was One	187	(3)
Afterthoughts	190	(3)
References	193	(6)
Index	199