Ada’s Journal and Emma’s Letters

'Ada’s Journal is a great primary source for use in public, private, and homeschool education' ~Cross Mountain Books

Book Description

Ada’s Journal provides a window into history. Ada Louise Peck was a well-loved little girl who traveled back and forth between Mossy Creek, Tennessee and East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, starting in 1853. She experienced trials, health problems, and travel by railroad, steamboat, and stagecoach. Her grandpa Jacob was Tennessee Supreme Court Judge Jacob Peck, and her grandpa William Henderson ran one of the largest cotton plantations in the South. This journal, recorded from Ada’s perspective by her mom Emma, records the first two years of her short life. Edited by Andy Peck, over 70 photographs, maps, and historical references bring this true story to life in a powerful way. Journey with little Ada on a Mississippi River steamboat; keep your hands inside the train as you pass through the half-mile Cumberland Mountain Tunnel on the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad; and enjoy the mountain hospitality at the Wolf Creek Inn as Ada visits with Mrs. Emma Allen, Peck family friend and hostess to hundreds along the French Broad River.

Emma’s Letters chronicles friendship, heartache, longing for connection, and the intense feelings and opinions surrounding our nation’s Civil War. Andy Peck has carefully transcribed these original letters written by Emma Peck to her great friend Emma Allen. You will learn how the Peck family decided to build their mountain home in Wolf Creek called Glen Ada; mourn with them as they lose young family members to diseases like cholera and typhoid; and celebrate with them as they write about mid-1800s Christmas traditions including Santa Claus. Emma’s brother-in-law was Confederate General William Raine Peck, known as the largest Civil War General. Learn of his request for a pardon from President Andrew Johnson, and his brother Wiley Peck’s acquittal after killing a man in New Orleans with a knife.

Series Info

Ada’s Journal and Emma’s Letters is a part of The Pecks of Mossy Creek Series, highlighting the first family of Mossy Creek, Adam and Elizabeth Peck, and their ancestors and descendants.

Mossy Creek Foundation

A portion of the proceeds from each book sold will be donated to the Mossy Creek Foundation in its efforts to revitalize the Historic Mossy Creek District in Jefferson City, TN. Learn more about this great project by visiting the Mossy Creek Foundation online.


Praise for Ada’s Journal and Emma’s Letters

'This work is a valuable part in telling the East Tennessee Story in the turbulent 1800’s.' ~ DAVID NEEDS, Carson-Newman University Instructor, Mossy Creek Historian, President of the Lakeway Civil War Preservation Association

'A fascinating look into a Tennessee family’s life in the mid-nineteenth century [and] a valuable addition to our Special Collections.' ~ ALBERT L. LANG, Special Collections Librarian & Archivist, Carson-Newman University, Jefferson City, TN

'Ada’s Journal brings American history studies to life in a personal way ... beginning just before the Civil War and progressing throughout the 19th century, [this book] would be a vibrant addition to the library of any American history scholar.' ~ SARAH L. ANGELL, Classical Home Educator

About the Editor

ANDY PECK is a devoted husband and father, military chaplain, family researcher, and author. Andy has a Master of Divinity from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Missouri - Columbia.

More info at Cross Mountain Books online.