Customer Reviews

Mistress of Riversdale: The Plantation Letters of Rosalie Stier Calvert, 1795-1821 (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf)

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In 1794, when Rosalie Stier was 16, her Belgian family fled the Terror and came to America. When her family returned to Europe after her marriage, she wrote direct, intimate letters--over 230!-- covering all aspects of her domestic circle, her house and garden, politics, and society.

She pulls no punches: she hated "Tommy Jeff" and "Queen Dolla lolla" Madison; thought American might benefit from a king; made major investment decisions for her family; described the "rockets' red glare," (glimpsed from her bedroom window); and oversaw her daughter Caroline's debut into society.

An inspiring figure from this often-overlooked period, she gives the lie to those who believe that plantation mistresses-or housewives-did nothing but take care of a house. Her letters give the true picture of the all-consuming details: addressing business cares (she taught herself bookkeeping), educating her nine children; looking after her many servants and slaves; and (despite the household) surviving her isolation.

Her letters were discovered in the 1970s, when her family's centuries-old manuscript collection was cataloged. Rosalie's voice, buried for almost two centuries, is heard again.

This book is the letters of Rosalie Stier Calvert, mistress of a manor house in Maryland in the early 19th century. She was an emigre from Antwerp who eventually came to feel herself American. She married into one of the first families in Maryland. In addition to running her household and bearing 9 children, she handled her father's and brother's not inconsiderable investments. In her letters home, Rosalie made interesting observations on the politics and social scene of the day, as well as telling her family about her day-to-day life. Rosalie almost comes alive in the pages of this book.

I loved this book! I live in MD but am from the west coast originally and knew nothing of the fascinating Mistress of Riversdale. I purchased the book after a tour of the Riversdale House Museum sparked my curiosity about the local area, the house and Rosalie Stier Calvert. The collection of letters and the author's insights give an absolutely intimate peek in to life at the time of our Founding Fathers.

This is a wonderful account of the Calvert mansion in Riverdale, Maryland.
This is a must for history buffs.