B O O K S

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03/2003. 32 pages.
0896725022
978-0-89672-502-7

The Fowler Family Celebrates Statehood and a Wedding: An Illustrated History with Paper Dolls

By Mary K. Inman and Louise F. Pence
Paper dolls by Norma Lu Meehan

In 1803, Ohio symbolized the American Dream. Though it had just joined the Union, it was sparsely populated and still very much the Western Frontier. Statehood was the most exciting event of many young settlers' lives. Americans young and old caught "Ohio Fever."

The rich Ohio Country offered everything settlers could hope for—inexpensive, abundant land and countless opportunities to better themselves and provide for families. State law prohibited slavery. Those who stayed longer than the average five years, who worked hard, and upon whom Fortune smiled were able to realize what the twentieth century would define as the American Dream.

The Fowlers are among these fortunates. Mother and Father settled with their four children in the woods on the East Fork of the Little Miami River in 1789, making or bartering for all their necessities until their tiny farm could produce a cash crop. By the time Ohio celebrates statehood, however, the Fowlers have much else to celebrate, too. They have built a gristmill and a new two-story log home. With the mill have come new settlers, and their little crossroads town has grown. This day, however, is especially joyous. It is Independence Day, and what's more, daughter Anna will marry her betrothed, schoolmaster William Howe.

Valuable for beginning researchers of all ages and rich in its depiction of American culture and costume, The Fowler Family Celebrates draws on holdings of ten North American museums.