Great Review, But ...

Lexington Herald, March 8, 1964:

MRS. WILSON REMINISCES

AN ESCAPE FROM REALITY,
by Hester P. Wilson. Exposition Press, $2.75

Mrs. Wilson is a native of Fayette County and a retired teacher, and "An Escape from Reality" is a little book of recollections of her childhood.

She was born Hester Price [WRONG] and she grew up at the Price [WRONG] Family farm on the Newtown Pike in a section of the county where many of the old homes and some of the old families remain yet. Her mother was the teacher in the one-room school Hester attended, and Prof. M. A. Cassidy was the county school superintendent, a  dignified educator who later became superintendent of city schools and for whom an elementary school is named.

Mr. Price [WRONG], a youngster during the Civil War and a staunch Confederate sympathizer, often told Hester tales of the conflict, in which the Southerners were, of course always the heroes, and throughout the book Mrs. Wilson refers to herself not as Hester but as "Rebel." it was not until she was well along in school that she learned that the Civil War, as a matter of fact, had two sides.

Her recollections are fascinating. The Harknesses, Miss Elizabeth Dangerfield, H. Price McGrath, the Peters family, the Keenes all have a place in these reminiscences, as do Castleton, Winton, McGrathiana, Cabell's Dale, Elmendorf and other well known homes and farms.

Change from the one-room schoolhouse, the crossroads store and the horse and buggy to the present day is the theme of "An Escape from Reality," and the author's rich sense of humor and easy style of writing make it an interesting book. - L.B.M.

It's not often you can find a book review for a book a relative wrote. In this case, the book was published in 1964. The review is good, but there is a glaring error. The reviewer, one L.B.M., never bothered to check his/her facts and the author's name.  Her full name was Hester Price Parker Wilson; Parker was her maiden name, not Price. Hester Parker's father was Harvey J. Parker. Hester's mother was Stirling "Price" Kirtley. Yes, she was named for a Confederate General. Price's mother. Susan Anna Chinn died just before Price's 10th birthday. Price's father was Isaac Shelby Kirtley. I have never found a record of his death. After the death of her mother, Price went to live with her aunt & uncle, Joseph & Hester Chinn Trapp.

Copyright 2011, ACK for Gene Notes