Sisters, Seeds & Cedars Rediscovering Ninetenth-Century Life Through Correspondence in Rural Arkansas and Alabama

History consists mainly of the milestones, theturning points of time. What are often lost in the fray are the details.Thankfully for those who have a hunger for history, books like Sisters,Seeds, and Cedars exist to fill in some of the gaps of history.The book contains letters from two sisters, Cornelia and Clara. Originallyfrom Alabama, Clara moves on to Arkansas, while Cornelia stays where her rootsare. Clara eventually puts down roots of her own, and the sisters' continue toconverse through letter writing for their entire lives.The letters span the generations and provide insight into everyday lifebetween 1850-1928. Without them, it might not be known that "a dewlarkieis most likely a slang word of the period for a beau." The letters alsoprovide details of the effects of the Civil War on the citizens of the South.As the sisters recover from the war, they must adjust to their new lives,filled with carpetbaggers and sharecroppers.While it may be impossible to know all the details of history, letters thathave survived and have been preserved in a book like Sisters, Seeds,& Cedars paint a more complete picture of events that have shapedthe world and families alike.Sarah Moseley Fountain is a native Arkansan dedicated to Arkansasliterature, history, and culture. She lives in Conway, Arkansas.