Donna Hicks Poradie kníh

Unlike most collections of old letters or diaries that have only one or two main authors this book is a collection of letters from all of Elma May Beach's family. Most of these letters are addressed to her oldest son, Lester. This collection of letters is from 1940 to 1945. Deeply anchored in their family, church and community Elma and William lived their lives and raised seven children on the Shelby County Missouri farm once occupied by her grandparents. Their oldest son, Lester, will enter World War II in 1942 as a part of the Signal Corp. Letters written home by Lester tell vivid descriptions of his journey around Europe. The letters from home to the young soldier often included letters from other family members and newspaper clippings that were thought to be important or interesting. This collection not only gives family gossip but documents economics, political views, religion, hardships and all the emotional structures that go with the processes of daily life in a rural community. It truly is a journey back through time and lets the reader experience life in the early 1940s.

His most recent study is of Johann Kilian the religious leader of the Texas Wends who generally has been identified as the symbol of that community. As a university graduate, Kilian was by far the most educated member of the group and many of his letters and documents have been preserved. He accepted the call of the Wendish leaders to become the pastor of the congregation which would provide the cohesion for the community in Texas. This study is the examination of his life which led up to the call and then to his life in Texas. In spite of his prominence, his will did not always prevail, and he was subject to the democratically arrived-at decisions of the congregational assembly. Nevertheless, his biography serves not only as the study of an important person, but it also parallels the history of the Wendish community in Texas.