Adele: The Woman I Named My Heroine After

As an author of historical fiction, history is my passion. Reading about events and people from the past feeds my very active imagination in a way contemporary stories can't. The question, "What was it like to live back then?" is always on my mind. Whether I'm visiting a museum, a pioneer farm, or reading one of my favorite Civil War research books, the lives of people who came before us often plays out in my head like a movie, complete with drama, romance, and intrigue.

For a number of years, my husband and I lived and worked on a 400-acre ranch in the Texas hill country. We often wondered if various Indian tribes might have lived on this land before settlers arrived in the 1820s when Stephen Austin gained Mexico's permission to bring Americans into Texas. We found a few broken arrowheads here and there, so it seems likely there were natives living off the land here at one time.

Adele's final resting place

But sometime in the 1800s, a settler named Adele lived there. Adele was actually her middle name. Her first and last names on the headstone have been worn off over the past 100+ years. Despite attempts to track  down information on her, we don't know when she arrived in Texas nor how long she actually lived on the property. But the few facts we do know about her stirred my imagination to the point I had to name the heroine in my historical novel THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER in her honor.

So let me tell you a little bit about Adele.

Adele was born in Switzerland on July 23, 1837. She was the wife of Henry James. I believe she was preceded in death by at least two children because the inscription at the bottom of her headstone makes reference to "her babies." She died in 1885 and her resting place now sits beside a small pond just down the hill from the caretakers house. While we lived on the ranch, we referred to her as "our neighbor."

You can clearly make out "Switzerland" beneath the metal bar
that is part of the protective covering over her headstone

Early morning with Adele and a foggy pond

Adele's life in the hill country would not have been easy. I often wondered what her husband did for a living, because cattle ranching in these rocky hills would have been extremely difficult. Farming is completely out of the question. The property is not located near any large cities and the closest town was probably little more than a wide spot in the road (and it still is). Perhaps the town had a mercantile and a few other businesses, but even then it would have taken several hours for Adele and her family to reach it by wagon or horseback.

We tried to figure out exactly where her house might have stood, but other than finding some old square-headed nails and a few other small items, we didn't come to a positive conclusion. I feel certain it wouldn't have been too far from her grave, so we narrowed the location down to a couple different areas due to their being the only flat patches of ground around.

Pioneer home located on the LBJ Ranch

Here is where my imagination takes over. I envision Adele and her family living in a cabin made from logs cut from the property. There are lots of live oak trees, cedar, and other varieties that would have been available in the 1800s. If her husband Henry was young and strong, he might have gathered rocks from the abundance on the property and built a house similar to this one located on the LBJ Ranch a few hours from here. It boasts four rooms in a "dogtrot" style. There was of course no indoor plumbing, so an outhouse would have been situated not too far from the cabin. A washbasin similar to the one pictured no doubt sat near the door for easy access. It gets mighty hot in Texas, so splashing ones face with cool water would have felt really good after a long day of work. Henry would have dug a well and they probably had a windmill.                               

Despite the land not being suited for raising herds of cattle, they would have had animals like pigs, chickens, and horses. A herd of goats would have done well on the rocky terrain and might have provided milk and cheese. A garden full of fresh vegetables would have been a must.

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In a hundred years, someone will poke around the property, wondering about the people who came before them. Maybe I'll bury a time capsule with a copy of my book and some pictures of what the place looks like now for someone to find.

                                                                              If you'd like to meet Adella Rose, the character named after Adele, go HERE to order your copy. THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER is getting lots of great reviews and is currently holding at 5-stars on Amazon! Adella's life in Texas was no doubt different from Adele's, but they would have faced many of the same struggles, had many of the same hopes and dreams. I think Adele would be tickled to learn I named my character after her.

It's funny to think the life we are living right now will one day be history! I'm determined to make it interesting!

Have a fabulous day as you make your own history!

~Michelle