Pamela Spalding

Who We Are, Where We Came From, Who Was Here Before Us: Two Girls and Their Journeys Pamela Spalding

The book consists of three main parts, all illustrated with photographs. It is written by two sisters in their sixties and takes the form of memoirs written specifically for their grown children. However, it is a historical memoir that can be used by anyone interested in United States History, especially domestic history. It does, however, tie in large historical events and movements. Often these events are delivered from the perspective of a child, and later placed in perspective. It captures life in rural South Dakota before 1950 with vignettes showing daily life at a country school, on the working farm with no indoor plumbing, at church, things grandparents taught them, the end of World War II and its impact. It captures the move to Southern California and deals with the history of that whole Post war migration west on the part of many Americans. It also contains a genealogy section that is specific to this family, but includes some historical references that typify nineteenth century European migrations west. The sisters have obviously wrenched a lot of information from their parents, grandparents, and great grandparents when those people were still available for information.