Donna Hicks
Inside these covers you will find the life and world of Elma Beach as related through letters she sends to her family. Elma writes about her trials, victories, struggles and family as her children grow, go off to college, marry and begin families of their own. Through all this she maintained her correspondence with each of them no matter how far away from the family Missouri farmstead they traveled. As Elma’s family members wrote to her, she would resend these letters to another sibling or family member continuing the tradition of personal correspondence. Elma’s Golden Years allows the reader to not only view historical content of the northeastern Missouri farming area, but relates a story of family economics, politics, religion, sacrifice and simple everyday Missouri farm life. The third and final volume of a three book series, Elma’s Golden Years brings the consecutive letters that have been the highlight of these books to a close in 1961. A final chapter of letters that the family has kept hidden away for various reasons in dressers, cedar chests, desks and Bibles are also included. These letters show Elma as she grows into her last stage of life and gives the reader a view of how Elma grew to be the very fine lady her family knew and loved.
