by Caryl McAdoo
On Scene in: HOPE REBORN, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, and JUST KIN
Mention in: HEARTS STOLEN
~ Briggs, Clayton ‘CLAY’ Butterfield – born October 13, 1827 to J.T. and Maud Briggs. He courts and marries Gwendolyn Buckmeyer.
HIS TITLE: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART
~ Briggs, Jake – born in 1812. Clay’s older brother is married to Clover and has son Jasper with her.
On Scene in: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART
~ Briggs, Jasper – born in 1837 to Jasper and Clover “Clovey”
On Scene in: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, JUST KIN
~ Boyd, Francine ‘FRANCY’ – born October 28, 1842, a California orphan God sends to Jethro to take to Mary Rachel. She quickly becomes a part of the family.
On Scene in: SINS OF THE MOTHER, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
The Buckmeyers
1832 – Sue meets and marries Henry Buckmeyer.
1833-1844 – Sue gives Henry four daughters, Mary Rachel, Gwendolyn Belle, Cecelia Carol, and Bonnie Claire, and a son, Samuel Houston, then leaves him a widower.
1850 – Henry marries May Meriwether.
1851-1854 – May gives Henry a son, David Crockett, and a daughter, Meri Charlotte.
~ Buckmeyer, BONNIE Claire – born December 2, 1840. Henry and Sue’s fourth child.
HER TITLE: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN, HOPE REBORN, and JUST KIN, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
Mention in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS
~ Buckmeyer, CECELIA Carol ‘CeCe’ – born April 10, 1836. Henry and Sue’s third child. Marries Elijah Eversole in 1854.
HER TITLE: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN, HOPE REBORN, and JUST KIN, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
Mention in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS
~ Buckmeyer, David Crockett – born October 4,1851
firstborn of Henry and May.
On Scene in: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, JUST KIN
~ Buckmeyer, GWENDOLYN Belle or ‘Gwen’ – born Nov. 29, 1834. Henry and Sue’s second child. Marries Clay Briggs in 1854.
HER TITLE: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN, HOPE REBORN, and JUST KIN, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
Mention in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS
~ Buckmeyer, Meri ‘Charlotte’ born in 1854 to Henry and May.
On Scene in: JUST KIN
~ Buckmeyer, Patrick HENRY - born March 6, 1798; killed a man at fifteen, fought in the Battle of New Orleans at sixteen. At thirty-four, he married Susannah ‘Sue’ Baylor in 1832, and became stepfather to her Rebecca and father to Mary Rachel, Gwendolyn Belle, Cecelia Carol, and Bonnie Claire before becoming a widower in Dec ’44 at his son Houston’s birth. Finding love again, he married May Meriwether in 1850 and fathered Crockett and Charlotte.
HIS TITLE: VOW UNBROKEN, HOPE REBORN
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN, HOPE REBORN, SINS OF THE MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, JUST KIN, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
~ Buckmeyer, Sam HOUSTON – born December 11, 1844. Henry and Sue’s fifth child, first son. His mother passed at his birth, so was motherless until he was six years old.
On Scene in: HOPE REBORN, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, JUST KIN
Mention in: HEARTS STOLEN, SINS OF THE MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART
~ Buckmeyer, Susannah ‘SUE’ Alicia Abbott Baylor – born May 15, 1803, married Andrew Baylor at eighteen in 1821, widowed at nineteen and became guardian aunt to orphaned Levi Baylor, birthed Rebecca in the next year. At twenty-nine, she married Henry Buckmeyer in 1832. Mother to Mary Rachel, Gwendolyn, Cecelia, Bonnie Claire, and Samuel Houston.
HER TITLE: VOW UNBROKEN
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN
Mention in: HOPE REBORN, SINS OF THE MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
~ Dempsey, Frederica ‘FREDDIE’ May’s publisher who Charley turns to for help in New York City on his search for Lacey Rose. She has a widowed daughter, Marah O’Connor
~ Eversole, ELIJAH – born January 2, 1826, moved to California in the gold rush days where his parents abandoned him as a teen. He followed in his father’s blacksmith trade and loves inventing and building new helpful machines. Jethro Risen and Moses Jones make him a partner in a gold mine. He marries Cecelia Buckmeyer in 1854.
HIS TITLE: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART
On Scene in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
~ Jeffcoat, CLAUDIA, a wealthy married woman and avid reader of dime romances who befriended and helped Charley on his search for Lacey Rose. Pauleen Shriver’s sister.
Mention in: JUST KIN
~ Jones, LANELLE Wheeler – born February 26, 1831, Caleb’s cousin, John’s sister, marries Moses Jones in early fall 1851.
On scene in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS
~ Jones, MOSES – born October 13, 1816, a Scot partnered with Jethro Risen in a gold mine, marries Lanelle Wheeler in 1854.
On scene in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS // Mentioned in: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART
~ Jones, ‘JOSH’ua Jethro, also ‘JONESY’ – born January 19, 1852 to Moses and Lanelle, but the blood son of Caleb Wheeler
~ Meriwether, CHESTER born a slave on October 7, 1803 to Commodore Meriwether’s field hands Silas and Honey Pie. He was 5, about to be 6, when his half-sister Millicent May was born. He marries JEWEL (formerly Mammy) in 1851.
On Scene in: HOPE REBORN, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART //
Mention in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS, JUST KIN
~ Meriwether, JEWEL (formerly Mammy) Rozier the Buckmeyers’ cook after Henry rescued her and her son Jean Paul Rozier who also works for the Buckmeyers.
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN, HOPE REBORN, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART //
Mention in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS, JUST KIN
~ Meriwether, Millicent MAY born August 23, 1808 to the Commodore and her mother. A successful New York dime novelist, May heads to Texas to interview a couple of Texas Rangers for new inspiration after seeing a newspaper article about Levi Baylor and Wallace Rusk. She marries Henry Buckmeyer there and gives birth to David Crockett in 1851 and Charlotte in 1854.
HER TITLE: HOPE REBORN //
On Scene in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, JUST KIN, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
~ Meriwether, Silas born a slave in 1808 on the Meriwethers’ Sea Side plantation, father of Chester and also blood father of May
Mention in: HOPE REBORN
~ Nightingale, CHARLES Nathaniel, Senior - born 1805, married Rosaleen Fogelsong and fathered Charley, though was never around him.
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN
~ Nightingale, Charles ‘CHARLEY’ Nathaniel - born son to a Comanche chief Feb 27 ’40 to the captive third wife Rosaleen, but Charles Nightingale was his mother’s husband and Charley’s blood father. He’s rescued in 1844 with his mother by Texas Rangers Levi Baylor and Wallace Rusk. He killed a man at ten when Comancheros came to steal him and his mother to return them to Bold Eagle.
HIS TITLE: JUST KIN
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN, HOPE REBORN
Mention in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
~ Nightingale, LACEY Rose Langley born November 16, 1844 in Nacogdoches to Laura, only fourteen when Lacey’s father, a Comanche brave, had captured her. Marries Charley in November, 1865
HER TITLE: JUST KIN
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, JUST KIN
~ O’Connor, Curry CYLE, Junior Marah’ fourteen year old son
Mention in: JUST KIN
~ O’Connor, CURRY Cyle, Senior Marah’s dead husband
Mention in: JUST KIN
~ O’Connor, MARAH A beautiful older woman (29) who almost wins Charley’s heart. She breeds thoroughbreds and is the daughter of Freddie – May’s publisher who helped Charley in New York
~ Risen, JETHRO – born September 22, 1830 partner of Moses Jones in a gold mine. Married Mary Rachel Buckmeyer Wheeler in 1853 and later that year, reconnected with his estranged father. Founds an orphanage and a bank in San Francisco.
HIS TITLE: SINS OF THE MOTHERS
On Scene in: AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
Mention in: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART
~ Risen, MARY RACHEL Buckmeyer Wheeler – born August 3, 1833. Henry and Sue’s firstborn eloped with Caleb Wheeler without Daddy’s blessing and moved to San Francisco. Her husband soon murdered, she’s a widow mother of Susannah “SUSIE” Wheeler. Remarried Jethro Risen, adopted an orphan, Francine “FRANCY” and birthed baby girl Rebecca “BECCA” in April, 1853 and Silas Reuel, Jethro’s firstborn son, in December, 1854.
HER TITLE: SINS OF THE MOTHERS
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN, HOPE REBORN, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
~ Rozier, JOHN PAUL son of the Buckmeyer’s cook, Mammy or later, Jewel. He and his mother were freed by their former owner when he died and both went to work for Henry. Her in the kitchen, him supervising the cotton fields. He marries Laura Langley, another soul Henry took in.
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN, HOPE REBORN, JUST KIN
Mention in: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART
~ Rozier, LAURA Langley was rescued at fifteen in 1844 along with Sassy. Pregnant at the time, she delivered the next month—a baby girl, Lacey Rose on the way to the Buckmeyers’ for Thanksgiving. She stays on there as teacher and marries Jean Paul Rozier.
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN, HOPE REBORN, JUST KIN
Mention in: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART
~ Rusk, REBECCA Ruth Baylor – born June 12, 1823; Sue’s daughter by 1st husband Andrew (who died before Rebecca’s birth). Nine years old on the Jefferson Trace in 1832 then twenty-one in 1844, when she finally met Wallace Rusk. Married him at age twenty-seven in 1850. No children.
HER TITLE: AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
On Scene in: VOW UNBROKEN, HEARTS STOLEN, HOPE REBORN
Mention in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART
~ Rusk, WALLACE – born August 15, 1819, a sixteen-year-old orphan picked up by Henry Buckmeyer and young Levi Baylor on the way to the Battle of San Jacinto, served with Levi Texas Rangering, fell in love with his sister Rebecca sight-unseen, and after wearing her down, married her in 1850. No children, but Lacey Rose Langley Nightingale was named after him.
On Scene in: HEARTS STOLEN, HOPE REBORN, JUST KIN
Mention in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
~ Shriver, PAULEEN a Wealthy married woman and avid reader of dime romances who befriended Charley on his search for Lacey Rose
Mention in: JUST KIN
~ Wheeler, Caleb – born August 29, 1828, cousin to John and Lanelle, partners in the Mercantile in San Francisco after eloping with Mary Rachel Buckmeyer in 1851, father of Susannah.
On Scene in: HOPE REBORN, SINS OF THE MOTHER
~ Wheeler, John – born April 17, 1825, Lanelle’s brother, Caleb’s cousin, partner in San Francisco Mercantile.
On Scene in: SINS OF THE MOTHER
~ Wheeler, Susannah “SUSIE” – born October, 1851 in San Francisco to Mary Rachel (father Caleb deceased)
On Scene in: SINS OF THE MOTHERS
Mention in: DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE
Oooowee! Twice blessed! Miss Jewel served her prize-winning Bread Pudding and her Blackberry Cobbler in Just Kin!
And I have the recipes, but updated for you! You may thank my author friend Ann Everett (A.K.A. Pattiecake McAlister) who recently debuted a MUST-HAVE new cookbook, SWEET THANGS! It’s a perfect gift cookbook, full of scrumdilliumptious recipes.
And I know…she tested them on our writers’ group colleagues, so I helped sample as she went! I highly, enthusiastically recommend Sweet Thangs!
Bread Pudding
Ingredients
2 cups day old bread, cut into cubes
2 cups milk
3 Tablespoons Butter
¼ cups granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons Butter
¼ cups granulated sugar
More Ingredients
2 eggs
Dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
~ Place bread cubes in a 1-quart buttered baking dish.
~ Scald milk with butter and sugar. (That means bring it almost to boiling and remove from heat) Stir constantly, because milk scorches easily. Let it cool to warm.
~ Beat the eggs slightly; add the salt; then stir in the warm milk and the vanilla.
~ Pour over the bread cubes.
~ Set the baking dish in a pan containing warm water up to the level of the pudding and bake for about 1 hour, or until a small knife comes out clean when inserted in center of pudding.
~ Pudding comes out risen…but will fall as it cools.
In Texas, we eat warm bread pudding with Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream Y’all enjoy!
Blackberry Cobbler
Mix together and set aside:
4 cups fresh blackberries, sweetened with 2 cups granulated sugar
1 stick margarine or butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening
COLD water
You’ll also need:
Extra sugar for sprinkling on top
Directions
~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
~ In a bowl, place the flour and shortening, blend until crumbly, then add the COLD water, 2 Tablespoons at a time, until you have moist dough. (you want your dough pretty moist/wet)
~ Divide the dough into two balls.
~ With rolling pin, roll each ball on floured surface until about the size of your pan.
~ Into greased pan, layer half of fruit mixture.
Top with one rolled crust, then layer remainder of fruit mixture and top with remaining crust.
~ Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
~ Bake until top crust is golden brown. Approximately 30-45 minutes.
Caryl’s Other Titles
& Five-Star Reviews
Historical Texas Romances
…for Vow Unbroken
With an intriguing plot line and well-developed characters, McAdoo, who's written nonfiction and children's fiction, delivers an engaging read for her first adult historical romance. --Publishers Weekly
After reading Caryl McAdoo's story of Henry and Susannah in "VOW UNBROKEN," I felt like I'd had another adventure with Tom Sawyer and Becky, this time as young adults.
--Alan Daugherty: columnist The News-Banner
…for Hearts Stolen
Get ready for a wild, uplifting, heart-tugging, page-turning ride. Hearts Stolen grabbed me at the start. Sassy’s feisty, fighting spirit…I couldn’t set it down. Burnt dinner, but forget eating, I ate this book up. This master storyteller weaves Texas history into a well-crafted plot with unforgettable and totally loved characters. --Holly Michael, author, Crooked Lines
…for Hope Reborn
With memorable characters, Caryl’s signature humor, and plenty of adventure, drama, and romance, “Hope Reborn” is anything but fluff. A strong message of salvation runs through, but well within the storyline. Enjoyed a unique twist with May writing the stories of the previous characters – clever and fun!
--Pam Morrison, Tennessee reader
…for Sins of the Mothers
I tell you what, folks, this girl can write! I do love this series, and maybe most especially this book Mary Rachel Buckmeyer is smart as a whip. She can out-negotiate the experts, out-guess marketing trends, and out-stubborn a mule. Trouble is, she tends to follow her heart into disaster. She falls in love with Caleb Wheeler, a man her father says is a boy. As she finds out, he's not only irresponsible, he has a meandering eye, lies like a braided rug, and has all the loyalty of a new-born pup. Mary hops from one frying pan to another until one man shows up who could steady her and get her out of the fixes she gets herself into. But again, trouble is she mi
ght throw him away. When will this girl ever learn? Such a great story! I know you'll love. --Anne Baxter Campbell, author The Truth Trilogy: The Roman’s Quest, Marcus Varitor, Centurion, and The Truth Doesn’t Die
…for Daughters of the Heart
A fun packed Christian romance novel with plenty of action, heartbreak, tears, deception, twists, and turns. [The three sisters] made a pact never to break their father’s heart, but when suitors show up, it's hard for them to stay determined. Will they find true love? Will Dad accept a suitor for them and give his blessings?
--Joy Gibson, a Tennessee reader
and pastor’s wife
Contemporary Red River Romances
…for The Preacher’s Faith
Great story! Hope there’s a sequel, and I’d love to see the artful dodger as a part of it. Maybe a reunion? And he could find his mother. Just love curling up in an afghan with a cup of cappuccino and reading Caryl’s books! Keep on writing!
--Lenda Selph, Texas reader
This was my first book to read by Caryl McAdoo and I absolutely loved it. I will be reading more. I love the way she prays that her story gives God Glory and dedicates The Preacher’s Faith to Him and His Kingdom…a good clean book to read. I was drawn into this story right from the start. I loved this book and can’t wait for book two.
--Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Dent, Alabama reader
…for Sing a New Song
Sing a New Song is a delightful breath of air. Caryl eloquently brings her audience nearer to God [with] fresh ways of viewing Christian life and all it offers. The characters are loveable and humorous. Illuminating, the story shares the Gospel beautifully. Samuel’s sermons as well as the gorgeous lyrics of Mary Esther’s songs fill our hearts with newfound worship. Truly an inspiring tale. Christian fiction in its best; a romantic love story that brings its readers closer to God. A treasure for sure.