Juana Navarro Pérez Alsbury - Alamo Survivor

By Anna Kathryn Lanier

A couple of years ago, I attended the re-enactment of the Battle of San Jacinto. This is the battle where the Texas forces defeated Santa Anna to win the Texas Revolutionary War. While there, Professor Mary L. Scheer with Lamar University in Beaumont gave a talk on Women of the Texas Revolution.  She also had her book, Women and the Texas Revolution for sale. Of course, I bought one.  It is a selection of essays on women and events during the Revolution.  One such essay written by Dora Elizondo Guerra is “Two Silver Pesos and a Blanket: The Texas Revolution and the Non-Combatant Women Who Survived the Battle of the Alamo.” Most people when asked about women and children who survived the Battle of the Alamo will tell you only one woman and child did, Susanna Dickinson and her daughter.  However, it is a known fact that at least six other women, all Hispanic, and their six children, were also in the Alamo during the thirteen day siege and final battle. 

 

Evidence of these six women comes to us via interviews done with the survivors themselves.  The most inclusive interview comes from an 8-year-old eyewitness, Enrique Esparza. He, along with his three siblings and his mother, Ana Salazar Castro Esparaza took refuge inside the Alamo because his father, Gregorio Esparaza was an Alamo defender. In 1901, at the age of 73, Enrique gave an interview with the San Antonio Light.  He recalled “within the Alamo courtyard were also the other refugees who were saved—Mrs. Alsbury and child and sister, Gertudes [sic] Navarro; Mrs. Concepción  Losoya, her daughter and two sons; Victoriana de Salina and three little girls; Mrs. Susanna Dickinson and baby…and an old woman Petra.” (I know, if you add them up, there are ten children, not six. However, other sources site six.).

Mrs. Alsbury was Juana Navarro Pérez Alsbury, 24 years old.  She and her unmarried sister, Gertudis, 20 were the daughters of politician, businessman and rancher José Angel Navarro. They were also the nieces of landed, political activists José Antonio Navarro and José Francisco Ruiz, both signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence.  Their mother died when they were young and both girls went to live with their aunt Josefa Navarro Veramendi and her husband, Juan Martin de Veramandi, governor of Coahuila y Téjas. Josefa and Juan’s daughter Ursula, cousin to Juana and Gertudis, married James Bowie.

Juana married Alejo Pérez in 1832 and the couple had a son, Alejo. Her husband was a merchant and “was given a permit in August 1833 to transport goods to and from Monclova.” He died in 1834 or 1835 during a cholera epidemic.  A few months later, Juana married Dr. Alexander Alsbury. (I have discovered various dates for 1) Alejo’s death and 2) the marriage of Juana and Alexander….which is said to have taken place in either 1835 or 1836).

At the time Santa Anna marched in San Antonio, Dr. Alsbury was out of the town on a military mission.  Therefore, it is believed that James Bowie, a cousin-in-law, had Juana, her son and her younger sister take refuge inside the Alamo.  It has been reported that it was most likely Juana who nursed Bowie when he took ill, as she was a relative.

On her experience of the siege and ultimate battle, Juana gave this report:

                As the firing approached their room, her sister Gertudis called out to the soldiers not to fire. They instead broke into the room and searched for loot, stealing Juana’s personal belongings.

                A rich Texan in the room tried to protect the women and was killed, as was a Tejano who ran into the room seeking cover.

                Looting began in earnest. One officer removed them from the room and another officer moved them from being in the way of cannon fire.  Then her ex-brother-in-law (brother to her first husband and a sergeant in the Mexican army) found them and moved them to safety. The firing went on until noon.

At the conclusion of the battle, the women and children were marched out of the Alamo. As they were taken to the main plaza, they were jabbed, demeaned and prodded by the soldiers who viewed them as traitors. They stayed the night at Don Ramón Musquiz’s house and were taken before General Santa Anna the day following the battle. After questioning the women and forcing them to pledge allegiance to Mexico, he personally awarded each woman “two silver pieces and a blanket.”  

Because of her family connections, Juana fared better after the war than others. As the daughter and adopted daughter of two prominent Hispanic families, she inherited land, cattle, and homes. Unlike most of the female survivors, Juana did not lose her husband. Although the Texas Revolution did cause a loss in social status, her Spanish legacy of legal and property rights remained intact. Her signature appears on numerous Bexar County land documents and in the state archives on legal petitions to the Texas legislature. 

Dr. Alsbury was very much involved in the revolutionary activities in Mexico, along the Rio Grande and in south Texas.  In 1842, Dr. Alsbury was marched into Mexico along with the other captives of Adrian Woll’s San Antonio invasion.  Juana followed the Texan prisoners as far as Candela, Coauila where she waited until Dr. Alsbury was released from Perote prison in 1844.  The couple made their way back to their home in San Antonio. However, the call to fight returned and Dr. Alsbury fought in the Mexican War. He was killed, presumably in Mexico, sometime in 1847.

As gender roles were not affected by the Texas Revolutionary War and women still had to sustain themselves through family ties, Juana remarried after Dr. Alsbury’s death. Her third husband was her first husband’s cousin, Juan Pérez.  In 1857, she petitioned the state for a pension for replacement of the items she lost in the looting of the Alamo, as well as her service there. The petition was granted.

Juana died in 1888, at her son’s ranch on Salado Creek in Bexar County. Alejo Pérez,  only eleven months old (and thus the youngest survivor) at the time of the Battle of the Alamo, was a long-time San Antonio city official. He served in the Confederate Army 1861-1864 and was twice married.  Between his two wives, Maria Antonia Rodriguez and Florencia Sappo Valdez, he fathered eleven children. When he died in 1918, he was the last known Alamo survivor.

Works Sited:

WOMEN AND THE TEXAS REVELOUTION by Mary L. Scheer

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/alamo/peopleevents/p_jnavarro.html

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fal49

http://www.thealamo.org/history/the-1836-battle/women-and-children.html

http://hotx.com/Alamo/esparza.html#juana

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txsaghs2/LibraryHoldings-PDF/FamilyWall/A48story.pdf

http://www.stoppingpoints.com/texas/sights.cgi?marker=Alejo+de+la+Encarnacion+Perez&cnty=bexar

Anna Kathryn Lanier

www.aklanier.com

A Horse of a Different Color

By Kathleen Rice Adams

Readers of traditional westerns and western romance tend to expect certain kinds of characters in stories. After strong men and feisty women, far and away the next most expected character is a horse. That’s how western movies came by the somewhat pejorative monikers “oater” and “horse opera.”

From left: a gray, a chestnut, and a bay roan (Click all photos to enlarge.)

I can’t speak for other western romance authors, but when I put a horse in a story, it can’t be just any old horse. The horse must fit the story and the human character with whom it pals around. All sorts of traits (including breed, size, and temperament) play into the decision, but one of the most obvious is coat color.

The color of a fictional horse says quite a bit about its rider. If a human character doesn’t want to stand out in a crowd, he or she most likely will ride a chestnut or sorrel, the two most common colors. Bays are another good choice for “don’t look at me” characters. Conversely, “flashy” horses—those with lots of white, like Appaloosas, palominos, and paints—send the subconscious message the character wants to be seen.

Duns and buckskins lend an aura of toughness to their riders, male or female. Don’t ask me why, but I’m sure there’s some complicated psychological explanation somewhere. And then there are the uncommon colors that make human characters seem rebellious: grullas and roans.

Because it sometimes can be difficult to visualize horse colors—and because everyone who reads western romance likes to look at pictures of pretty horses, right?—I thought I’d provide some helpful visuals.

Without further ado…

Chestnuts are red horses. Period. The shade can vary along a continuum from light to dark. Although manes and tails may be a lighter shade, they usually are the same color as the horse’s body. Liver chestnuts are so dark they seem almost brown. White blazes and stockings are optional. In Prodigal Gun, hero Mason Caine rides only “plain” chestnuts—ones with small or no white markings—because he wants to fade into the scenery.

Sorrels are red, too, but the line between sorrel and chestnut can be vague. Sorrel is a light, bright red—sometimes described as “copper penny red.” Some folks call sorrels a subset of chestnut; others say sorrel is distinct from chestnut because true sorrels have flaxen manes and tails. I’m staying out of that argument. Brit Moonchaser, the antihero in my forthcoming novel Ghosts in the Shadows, rides a sorrel gelding with a flaxen mane and tail—mostly because I like the color.

mahogany bay

blood bays

Bay horses range from a light reddish-brown to a dark, almost black, red. All bay horses have black manes, tails, and lower legs (called “points”). The darkest are called mahogany bay. One of the most striking bays, I think, is blood bay—a deep, bright red. “Flashy” blood bays are particularly attractive. A dangerous, flashy blood bay stallion plays a significant role in Ghosts in the Shadows.

buckskin mare and foal

buckskin quarter horse

Buckskins are tan or golden horses with dark
manes, legs, and tails. The tips of their ears also sport dark hair. White stockings and blazes are not uncommon. Cole McCord, the Texas Ranger in Prodigal Gun, rides a buckskin gelding. Cole is a by-the-book, no-nonsense lawman.

three-week-old red dun

dark dun

Duns often are confused with buckskins. Their coats run the same color spectrum, and both have dark points. The difference is this: Duns bear “primitive markings”; buckskins don’t. Primitive markings include a darker line down the center of the back from withers to tail, a dark splash across the shoulders, zebra stripes on the legs, and rings on the forehead (called “cobwebbing”). Many of the markings may be virtually invisible, but the line down the back is a dead giveaway and it’s always present. Often, duns’ tails will bear a dark stripe, as well. Whit McCandless, the rancher with an inflexibility problem in the short story “Peaches,” rides a lineback dun.

grulla miniature horse

See the stripe down his back?

Grullas or grullos (grew-ya; grew-yo) are essentially blue duns, a color combination that occurs when the dun coat color gene crosses the black coat color gene. Grullas/grullos (either is correct), sometimes called “mouse duns,” also bear primitive markings. The color is striking, if uncommon. Quinn Barclay, the hero in the short story “The Second-Best Ranger in Texas,” rides a grulla gelding with a drinking problem.

strawberry roan

bay roan

Roans come in red, bay, and blue. They look
“mottled” because white hair mixes with the horse’s base color evenly across most of the body. Roans’ heads and lower legs are the solid base color. Blue roans have black heads, manes, and tails. Bay roans have black manes, tails, and legs. Red roans—sometimes called strawberry roans—have chestnut heads, manes, tails, and legs. Latimer, a gunman who wants everyone to know who he is, rides a strawberry roan gelding in Prodigal Gun.

Paint and pinto horses are marked with large
splotches of white and any other color. (In the Old West, the terms paint and pinto were interchangeable. Nowadays there are technical differences between the two having to do with bloodlines.) Paints come in three varieties—Tobiano, Overo, and Tovero—but unless an author is writing a contemporary story set among the horsey set, nobody cares. Jessie, the heroine in Prodigal Gun, is rebellious from the word go. Her horse, Caliente, is a black-and-white paint mare.

Tennessee Walking Horse

palomino mare; chestnut foal

Palominos can range in color from almost white to
deep chocolate, but the vast majority have coats “within three shades of a newly minted gold coin.” All have white or flaxen manes and tails. Everyone remembers Trigger, right?

Appaloosa hoof

varnish roan Appaloosa

Appaloosas are easy to spot. (Sorry. I couldn’t resist.) The
breed is said to have originated among the Nez Perce Indians, who bred them for their spotted coats. Appies can be almost any base color and come in several patterns, but perhaps the best known are leopards (spots evenly distributed over a light-colored horse) and blankets (commonly a splash of white with spots across the rump of a darker base coat, although there are other blanket patterns). Many have striped hooves. Varnish roan is an exceptionally striking and uncommon version of the leopard pattern and is distinguished from other roans by the appearance of dark spots over prominent bones (hips, knees, facial bones, etc.). I haven’t found a character in need of an Appaloosa yet, but I’m sure I will.

What’s your favorite horse color? One of these? Something else? Let us know in the comments. On Saturday morning I’ll draw the name of one commenter, and that person will receive an e-copy of his or her choice from among the stories mentioned above.

A Well Appointed Kitchen in Old Texas

In my Western Historical, KATIE AND THE IRISH TEXAN, A Brides of Texas Code Series Novella, Book One, my heroine, Katie, worked in the kitchen of The Eatery. Between researching for this and watching Mrs. Patmore at Downton Abbey, I've become interested in how women in Old Texas would've put their kitchens together.





"A Southern kitchen and pantry are a study for a Northerner. In the first place you notice three or four cabinets with doors of wire net. These doors are to keep out the flying cockroaches and the clouds of innumerable gnats and flies of 20 different species, which are blown heedlessly about by every breeze into all corners, or which deliberately follow their noses - if they have noses - in quest of bread, meat, pastry, sugar or anything good to eat or drink. And if you look lower, you'll see that every cupboard and every table there and in the dining room has a shallow tin dish set under each of its feet, and that each dish is full of water. That is to keep the ants which swarm over the floor from mounting higher."   Excerpt from "Among the Insects in a Southern City" July 1885

A well appointed kitchen began with the proper furniture.

One of the first things a cook needed in her kitchen was a good stove or range.It was best to place a piece of hard, asbestos board under the stove or range because of its durability and easiness to keep clean.

Possible kitchen set up in Old Texas

Next on the list for the cook would've been ovens. Separate ovens were necessary for meats and pastries because  delicate cakes and pastries would take on the flavor of meat cooked in a hotter oven.

A sink and a sink-side work table as large as the room would accept was indispensable. The table's edge would've overlapped the sink and would've been covered with zinc. This material was durable, easily kept clean and not burned by hot pans. When scrubbed clean, this could also be used as a molding board and dough could be scraped off with a knife. If covered with oilcloth, the kitchen table could've been used as additional work space.

The well appointed kitchen would've also had a tableware cabinet sitting just above the sink-side worktable to save time and steps lost in walking from the sink to the table. The kitchen cabinet would've had metal bins for flour, meal and other foods that entice mice. It was an investment that was a money saver in the long run.

Other items of importance were a stool, footstool, a washboard hung by the sink to keep dishcloths and towels clean and sweet smelling, a slate to write down needed supplies, dinner mats lined with asbestos to protect the table's surface from hot pots and dishes, pot holders, and stove mats made of asbestos. Match safes to protect matches, ash receptacles, sleeve protectors and dishcloths made from cloth sugar, flour and cornmeal sacks rounded out the necessities.

I'll be posting more about homes in Old Texas from time to time. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Hugs, Carra

 Carra Copelin Website, Carra's Blog , Carra's FB page , Carra's Twitter Page

LEVI'S--The Real Thing

 

OLD LOGO

 Who doesn't love a good pair of jeans? Americans, especially, have a great love of jeans, even though they might not be "the real thing."
In this case, authentic jeans today are called Levi's, named for the man who first created them.

LEVI STRAUSS (1829-1902)

Before Levi Strauss made his first pair in the middle of the Nineteenth Century, Genovese sailors made pants from a kind of serge, a strong material made from wool. By the 1700s, denim was made from wool and cotton. Later, sturdy pants were made solely from cotton.

California's gold rush economic boom was in full swing when the immigrant from Bavaria came to San Francisco in 1850. His goal was the same as all others--strike it rich in the gold mines.

Trained as a tailor, however, he instead planned to manufacture tents and wagon covers for the Forty-niners, but he failed to find a market for them.

Instead, he tried making durable pants from the stout canvas. The pants became a popular item for miners who needed clothing that would withstand the rigors of mining for gold. He sold them as fast as he could make them.

He soon switched from canvas to a heavy blue denim material call genes in France, which became "jeans" in America.

The "blue" in blue jeans came from the indigo plant. Blue jean manufacturers imported the dye from India until the twentieth century, when a synthetic indigo was developed.

Original Levi's did not have rivets to reinforce pockets and stress points. Another tailor by the name of Jacob Davis in Reno, Nevada invented riveted pants when a miner complained that the regular pants' pockets were not rugged enough to hold his mining tools.

Strauss and Davis met, and Davis allowed Strauss the use of his rivet idea. As Davis did not have the money for the necessary paperwork, he suggested that Strauss provide the funds so the two men would own the patent together.

The patent was signed on May 20, 1873.

Strauss brought Davis to San Francisco where they employed seamstresses working out of their homes. By the 1880s, Strauss opened his own factory.



ONE PAIR OF MY HUSBAND'S 501s--
NOTICE THE RIVETS AND IN ADDTION TO THE BIGGER
LABEL, NOTICE THE SMALL RED LABEL ON THE LEFT EDGE
OF THE POCKET THAT READS "LEVI'S"

The famous 501 brand jean was originally called XX.

It became the bestseller and the company grew quickly.

 



Today, jeans are worn by men and women around the world.

Levi's have become not only an emblem of the American West

but an emissary of the Western lifestyle.
 

Levi's are available as: Straight, Slim, Skinny, Relaxed, and Boot Cut.

Also as:

501's Original Fit

501's Shrink-to-Fit
Other variations of the "500" label.

Various Shades of Blue

 



Today, at all major outlet malls, such as Tanger Outlet in San Marcos, Texas, the Levi's brand has been placed on jackets, sweaters, shirts, and shorts.






Sources:
Levi Strauss-Biography
klru-"The West"
Wikipedia
Wikimedia
James Yeary-Photo


I HOPE HE'S WEARING REAL LEVI'S!

WYOMING LAWLESS MEN WHO WORE A BADGE! RED ANGUS! by Kirsten Lynn

I'm so excited, I have a new release coming February 12th, HEARTS IN WINTER!! The hero in HEARTS is a rancher turned bounty hunter who rides with a U.S. Marshal. So today I'm blogging about a Wyoming lawman who wasn't always so law abiding. 

What’s interesting about writing lawmen in the old west is they were a colorful bunch, and often chosen from a lawless bunch.  A writer can bring these dichotomies into Western romances to create multidimensional heroes.  All but two of my stories take place in Wyoming. Most of Wyoming’s early lawmen were men with less than desirable pasts who were elected because:  

1.) A town wanted a man who would look the other way regarding other nefarious deeds

2.) The best way to catch a thief is to hire a man who knows how they think

3.) These were men were respected or feared enough to keep law and order

One Wyoming lawman had all these characteristics and his life reads like a great plot for a book. This was William Galispie “Red” Angus (Even the name is great!).

Red Angus

Born in 1849, William Angus grew up in Kansas when the territory was in the middle of a nasty guerrilla war over slavery. This warfare took its toll on young Angus.  In 1862, when he was only 12 years old, he demanded that he be allowed to enlist in the Union Army. He joined as a drummer boy.  When discharged in 1865, at the ripe old age of 15, he’d witnessed some of the worst fighting of the Civil War, but instead of quelling his desire for danger he embraced it. Angus found work as a freighter in western Kansas, when such employment was considered highly dangerous.  The Cheyenne, Arapahoe and Lakota Sioux were active in the area, and Angus was in Fort Wallace in 1867 during its siege.

Surviving these hostilities, Angus joined the 19^th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry and participated in a campaign against the Cheyenne. He was discharged in 1869, and though you’d think he’d had his quota of excitement he refused to seek a quiet life. He resumed freighting between Kansas and Oklahoma, and then worked for three years in Texas as a cowboy before spending a year as a teamster in Guatemala.  He made his way back to the United States through California where he again found work as a cowboy and finally made his way to Wyoming driving a herd in 1880.  He first came to Prairie Dog Creek in northern Johnson County, but relocated to Buffalo in 1881.

Not shockingly, Red Angus had red hair and though normally easygoing he possessed a fierce temper when riled. He was also known as a man whose courage was without question.  In Buffalo, he became part of the Laurel Avenue and saloon crowd. Laurel Avenue being the area of Buffalo that catered to the baser needs of men.  Angus became known as the “Mayor of Laurel Avenue,” and his first wife had been a prostitute in one of the brothels. He was no stranger to run-ins with the law. Territory v. Angus was the first criminal case filed in Johnson County. Angus was charged with assault for pistol-whipping a man. Tried and convicted in 1882, he paid of a fine of $80 with $5 charge for court costs.

Nearby Fort McKinney was a primary economic force in Johnson County, but cattle raising was the butter on the bread supporting a great number of cowboys and a few rich men. Big cattle companies dominated the southern half of the county, while smaller family outfits filled the northern half.  Big cattle outfits in southern Johnson County, whether or not they held title, occupied and monopolized huge chunks of land, more than they could ever legally claim. They asserted rights under fictitious legal theories like “range rights” and “accustomed ranges.”

So what does that have to do with Red Angus?

By 1884, Red took an interest in becoming a lawman and started working toward that goal. He built a new saloon and became a bar man. He served on the town council and was elected chief of the fire department earning the respect of the citizens of Buffalo.

Trouble was brewing at the same time Red Angus was preparing to run for sheriff.  The year 1888 saw huge divisions in Johnson County. Officials from the northern portion petitioned the Territorial Government to become its own county, Sheridan County, and won. Also, after a series of disastrous winters the cattle barons and small ranchers were scrapping for any grazing lands.

It was during this heated time, Red Angus, likable bar owner closely associated with Buffalo brothels ran against Frank Canton, model of an efficient sheriff. But the respect Angus had been earning swayed voters in Red’s favor. And in the community of Buffalo, owning a bar and having “unsavory associations” at brothels wasn’t always a bad thing.  In the general election, Angus won 509 to 379. Angus’ election was contentious because it was well known he supported the small cattle ranchers, those the cattle barons accused of being rustlers. 

By 1891 and 1892, this small Wyoming County was described by national papers as “a raw and brutal haven for range pirates,” and “the most lawless town in the country.” A county “under the control of criminals so maliciously confident that they had begun naming big cattlemen to be put to death.”   Charges and counter-charges were flung from one camp to the other.  It wasn’t long before the battle of words turned to a series of lynchings and other hostilities perpetrated by the large cattle barons against the small rancher.

Tensions between the large cattlemen and small ranchers exploded into the Johnson County War After a series of murders and raids, in the spring of 1892, “regulators” under the leadership of men from the Wyoming Stock Grower’s Association took a train from Cheyenne to Casper where they unloaded and rode into Johnson County. The invaders attacked a small ranch and killed two “rustlers” Nate Champion and Nick Ray.  They then took refuge at a friendly ranch, the TA Ranch.

Courtesy of the Jim Gatchell Museum

Angus’ legendary temper and courage surfaced with a vengeance and he rounded up a posse of 48 men that soon grew to an army of anywhere between 200 to 300 men, and surrounded the TA ranch. Many riding, and duly deputized by Sheriff Angus, were cowboys who had worked for the very men they were riding against. The invaders held off Angus’ army by using the natural defenses of the ranch along with well-placed ranch buildings.

Soldiers from Fort McKinney saved the invaders, but Angus issued arrest orders for the “regulators.” His warrants were denied as the soldiers had been called in as a favor to Governor Amos Barber (a supporter of the big cattle barons), who knew the men would be executed if turned over to Red Angus.  Angus secured an agreement that the invaders would be turned over to Civil Authority for trial, and the prisoners were sent to Fort McKinney. Authorities fearing the wrath of the local citizenry transferred the prisoners to Fort D. A. Russell for safe keeping. Their fears may have been justified, a few days after their arrest the barracks at McKinney were bombed by three cowboys. 

The Court held that the regulators wouldn’t receive a fair trial in Buffalo and transferred venue to Laramie County. The people of Johnson County had no recourse, as the County simply couldn’t afford the cost of prosecution. In Laramie County, the invaders faced a sympathetic court and were set free.

Sheriff Angus was defeated for reelection and took a job tending bar at the Occidental Hotel, in Buffalo. Later, however, he served as deputy clerk and county treasurer. In 1893, he engaged in a shootout with Arapahoe Brown in the street in front of the hotel. Neither was a very good shot. Doctor Will Frackleton, a circuit riding dentist was in town and witnessed the fight from the doorway of the hotel. Bullets flew into the barroom while the customers ducked for cover. When the fight was over, Frackleton told Angus and Arapahoe, "Well I don't see what in hell you carry those things for. You fellows can't hit anything with them.”  The tension dissolved and the men joined the dentist for drink at the bar.

William “Red” Angus remained in Buffalo where he passed away in 1921.

SOURCES:

Davis, John W.  Wyoming Range War: The Infamous Invasion of Johnson County. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 2010.

http://www.kirstenlynnwildwest.com/blog/?p=908

Here's more on HEARTS IN WINTER! It's up for pre-order on Amazon! 

BLURB:  Christmas Eve, 1894...

The night Garrett McPherson finds his wife violated and murdered is the night he turns his back on his Wyoming ranch to become the most feared bounty hunter on either side of the Mississippi. But what keeps Garrett on the hunt for Elsie's murderers and unable to come home is his sister-in-law, Jenny Westin. He's never stopped loving her, and if it weren't for his young son, Ethan, he might never return to the ranch again to keep from facing her and his feelings.

Jenny has never understood why Garrett threw her over for her sister, beautiful Elsie. When Jenny returns to Wyoming, a tense reunion at the train station for the two former lovers becomes a nightmare when they discover Elsie's battered body upon their return to the ranch. Garrett vows to find Elsie's murderers and avenge her death, and Jenny has no choice but to stay and care for Garrett’s son. For three years, she manages to live at the ranch raising Ethan, keeping her secrets and heartbreak hidden.

Another Christmas will bring Garrett back from his search for Elsie's murderers to the Double M Ranch. Will this be the season for Jenny and Garrett to sort through the hurt and betrayal and face the truth of their love? The secrets of the past are the only key to unlock their HEARTS IN WINTER...

AMAZON PRE-ORDER 

 Kirsten Lynn writes stories based on the people and history of the West, more specifically those who live and love in Wyoming and Montana. Using her MA in Naval History, Kirsten, weaves her love of the West and the military together in many of her stories, merging these two halves of her heart. When she's not roping, riding and rabble-rousing with the cowboys and cowgirls who reside in her endless imagination, Kirsten works as a professional historian.

Valentine's eBook Giveaway!

The origins of St. Valentine's Day can be traced back to an early Christian saint named Valentinus, who was said to have been imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry. This lovely notion may have led way to the first romantic "valentine" verse, which was written in the 15th century by Charles, Duke of Orlean to his wife, which said: I am already sick of love, My very gentle Valentine.

By the late 1700's, paper valentine's containing sentimental verses for the young lover unable to compose his own, became so popular in England that they were assembled in factories. Fancy Valentines, made with real lace and ribbons, were introduced in the mid-19th century.

Today, gifts typically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped boxes and, thanks to the diamond industry who began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving jewelry, those rings, necklaces and braclets sometimes make an appearance. 

Regardless of its origins, the tradition of giving of ones self has been universal across the centuries and while we don't have choclates and roses for you dear readers, we do have the next best thing. Books! 

I've gathered the rest of the Sweethearts to help me celebrate with a fantastic eBook giveaway just for you. There are fourteen prizes up for grabs so we'll have 14 winners! Entering is easy. All you have to do is LIKE our Facebook pages or sign up for our Newsletters. Each option on the rafflecopter form is good for one entry so the more options you perform, the more chances you have to win. The giveaway will run from Feb 4th - Feb 14th. I'll pick winners and announce them on Feb 15th. To enter, read the rules below. 

• There is No Purchase Necessary to win. The contest is open to Internationally to anyone performing at least ONE option on the form. 
• Additional entry options are not required to enter but the more items on the list that you complete, the more entries you gain. 
• The contest will run through Feb. 14th and a winners announced Feb. 15th and be notified by email. The winners will have 72 hours to claim their prize. 
• You must be 18 years of age to enter. 
• You must provide a current and valid email address as this is the only contact information we have to inform you of a win. If emails are not answered within 72 hours, prize will be forfeited and another winner selected. 
• Void where prohibited by law.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Lily Graison

USA TODAY  bestselling author Lily Graison writes historical western romances and dabbles in contemporary and paranormal romance. First published in 2005, Lily has written over a dozen romance novels that range from sweet to spicy.

She lives in Hickory, North Carolina with her husband, three high-strung Yorkies and more cats than she can count and is mother of two and grandmother of three. On occasion, she can be found at her sewing machine creating 1800’s period clothing or participating in civil war reenactments and area living history events. When not portraying a southern belle, you can find her at a nearby store feeding her obsession for all things resembling office supplies.

To see the dresses Lily has created, visit her Pinterest page.

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Susan B. Anthony's Remarkable Meal

By Paisley Kirkpatrick

Susan B. Anthony, the great suffrage leader once found herself a passenger on a Wells Fargo stage driven by the famous jehu, Mark Regan. She was enroute from Denver to Salt Lake City.

At the 'eatin' house at the Bitter Creek way station, Susan was served the piece de resistance of that establishment by the proprietor, a Mr. Rawlins. Said delicacy was 'roasted whitefish' and Susan showed her appreciation by consuming three generous helpings.

Susan proceeded on her merry way via Wells Fargo stage to the next 'eatin' house and promptly ordered white fish, but was forced to settle for fried chicken. Between bites of the fowl she praised Mr. Rawlins and his white fish. Finally the waitress, a Mormon girl could take no more and told Susan in disgust, "You didn't eat no white fish ma'am. That was pure rattlesnake meat. That's what that no good Rawlins serves everybody."

In high indignation Susan sent for the manager. However, Mark Regan stepped forward and gently assured Susan that she had in truth eaten rattlesnake meat. "You see, Ma'am," he informed her, "Rawlins is supposed to keep a supply of game to feed the stage passengers, but being somewhat of a naturalist he forgets at times. Then he just kills the first thing at hand and cooks it. Today he killed some big fat rattlers down by Bitter Creek."

As was ladylike for members of the weaker six in that day, Susan promptly swooned. Thirty years later, however, the suffrage leader wrote to Mark Regan, "I can now smile with others over that remarkable meal."

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) is perhaps the most widely known suffragist of her generation and has become an icon of the woman's suffrage movement. Anthony traveled the country to give speeches, circulate petitions, and organize local women's rights organizations.

Diamond Rattlers Recipe

Salt and pepper

2 ½ pounds cleaned diamond back rattlesnake

¼ cup yellow cornmeal

¼ cup cooking oil or bacon drippings

Parsley or watercress

Salt and pepper rattlesnake to taste and roll in cornmeal. Lay separately on waxed paper. Panfry in oil until brown on both sides. Place on heated platter and decorate with parsley or watercress. If desire, serve with tarter sauce or barbecue sauce.

NOTE: Rattlesnake meat tastes slightly like fish. In some areas of the country, annual rattlesnake hunts are held.