We’ve talked a bit about how back at the end of the Civil
War, an enterprising young man named Asa Mercer decided to bring widows and
orphans from the East Coast to marry lonely bachelors on the West Coast. The
heroines of my Frontier Bachelors series have so far all been fictional members
of Mercer’s party. They left everything—family, friends, vocations—to travel
around the continent to pioneer Seattle. One of the questions readers often ask
me is whether I would have been willing to be a Mercer Belle.
The answer took some thought. Could I have been as brave and
bold as those ladies?
Widow Allegra Howard, heroine of The Bride Ship, boarded the Continental
to sail with Mercer because she was fleeing oppression. In her case, it was
in-laws determined to run her life down to the last moment, including telling
her how her daughter should be raised. Many of the real-life Mercer Belles were
fleeing economic oppression. During the war, they had worked in factories and
mills, bringing much-needed income to their families. But the returning
soldiers would take their places, leaving them out of work. They hoped to find
opportunities on the frontier.
Catherine Stanway, heroine of Would-Be Wilderness Wife, came to Seattle hoping to start anew. Her
father and brother were killed in the war, leaving her alone in the world. The
real-life Mercer Belles had also seen loved ones—sweethearts, fathers,
brothers—die, and the men who returned in some cases came back hollow shells
with no interest in marrying. They hoped for a brighter future in the West.
Rina Fosgrave, heroine of Frontier Engagement, came to Seattle to become her own person. Raised
by charlatans who made her believe she was someone special, she wanted to
contribute something to society. The real-life Mercer Belles also felt strongly
about giving back. Many saw it as their mission to be a civilizing force on the
new frontier.
Maddie O’Rourke, heroine of January’s Instant Frontier Family, wanted more than what she had. An Irish
lass with a skill for baking, she’d served as a laundress in New York, lugging
heavy loads up and down three flights of stairs and laboring in the heat and
harsh chemicals. She dreamed of a nice house rather than a tenement, leisure
time with her family instead of endless, back-breaking work. The real-life
Mercer Belles also looked beyond what was expected of them. Asa Mercer may have
accepted bride money from a number of men, but that didn’t mean the ladies had
to marry them! They went on to be lighthouse keepers, teachers, and yes, wives
and mothers of the next generation in the Northwest.
I like to think I look for opportunities to make the most of
my skills, that I see the possibilities in the future, that I give back to
society, and that I’m willing to work for what I want. Maybe that makes me good
material for a Mercer Belle.
What about you?
2 comments:
I bet you would have made a fine Mercer Belle, Regina. I think I would have done it under the right circumstances. :-)
Oh, thank you, Lynn! I guess I have the best of all worlds right now--I get to sit in the safety and comfort of my office and write about what it was like to be a Mercer Belle. :-)
I bet you would have been a fine pioneer. You have that willing-to-try spirit.
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