History

When I was in high school, I liked math and English, and that is where I excelled. I thought history was boring.

In fact, I disliked history so much that I had to repeat American History in the eleventh grade. I signed up and took it again in summer school, and that teacher made it much more interesting. Plus, he was very cute, which enticed me to pay more attention.

I did not begin to enjoy history until almost 10 years later, while I was living in Haiti. At that time, there was not much for me to do but sunbathe by the pool and read. I began reading John Jakes’ Bicentennial Series historical novels.

The series, also known as The Kent Family Chronicles, begins with a man named Philip Kent, who was born in England and came to America as an adult, right around the time of the birth of our country. Through his life in America, he encountered people we know from our American history books.

Kent got married, had children, and his family became a continuation of his story in America.

While I was reading this series, there was another American living in the apartment building where I lived in Petionville, Haiti. He also got interested in the series, and it became somewhat of a race to get through these books. We anxiously awaited the next in the series, asking folks who were coming from the States to bring us the next edition.

These books held my interest and gave me a jump-start into my current love for history. Of course, the story itself was fictional in the Bicentennial Series, but the people Kent and his family encountered were real people from history, and the fiction and non-fiction were braided together into something that enticed me.

When I finally finished the series, I had the feeling I not only knew the history of our country, but I had made friends with the people of history.

I am now very interested in the history of Madera. It’s the community I know and love, and although I wasn’t raised here, I consider myself a Maderan. I’ve lived here for 35 years.

My friend, Bill Coate, has helped us know Madera’s history through his great story-telling talents. We also have an award-winning museum in the old Madera County Courthouse with generations of artifacts that relate to Madera’s rich history.

I have in my office a bunch of books written by Madera’s historian, author Bill Coate. I treasure each one of them. If I didn’t already love history, he would have inspired me to love it, with his passion for history, and, particularly, the history of Madera.

This year is the 150th anniversary of Madera, as well as the 250th anniversary of our great country. It’s a time to celebrate and appreciate what we have here in American, and in our community of Madera.

Love it!

— My love to all,

Nancy

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“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

— Romans 15:4