By Paula Tarnapol
Whitacre
In the fall of 1862 Julia Wilbur left her family’s farm
near Rochester, New York, and boarded a train to Washington DC. As an
ardent abolitionist, the forty-seven-year-old Wilbur left a sad but stable
life, headed toward the chaos of the Civil War, and spent most of the next
several years in Alexandria devising ways to aid recently escaped slaves and
hospitalized Union soldiers. A Civil Life in an Uncivil Time shapes
Wilbur’s diaries and other primary sources into a historical narrative sending
the reader back 150 years to understand a woman who was alternately brave,
self-pitying, foresighted, petty—and all too human.
Paula Tarnapol Whitacre describes Wilbur’s experiences against the backdrop of
Alexandria, Virginia, a southern town held by the Union from 1861 to 1865; of
Washington DC, where Wilbur became active in the women’s suffrage movement
and lived until her death in 1895; and of Rochester, New York, a hotbed of
social reform and home to Wilbur’s acquaintances Frederick Douglass and Susan
B. Anthony.
In this second chapter of her life, Wilbur persisted in two things: improving
conditions for African Americans who had escaped from slavery and creating a
meaningful life for herself. A Civil Life in an Uncivil Time is the
captivating story of a woman who remade herself at midlife during a period of
massive social upheaval and change.
About the Author
Paula Tarnapol Whitacre is a professional writer and
editor for organizations including the National Institutes of Health and the
National Academy of Sciences. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, she is a
former Foreign Service officer and staff writer for the Washington Post.
She participates in excavations, conducts archival research, and gives
presentations on topics related to Alexandria, Virginia, where she lives
with her family. Visit her website www.paulawhitacre.com.
ISBN 978-1612348551, Potomac Books, © 2017, Hardcover, 320
pages, Photographs, End Notes, Bibliography & Index. $32.95. To
Purchase the book click HERE.
