ABSTRACT
In the opening pages of her book, Memories of the Old Emigrant Days in Kansas, 1862–1865, “Doaty” Orpen asks the question, “What did we seek?” Most pioneers would say they were looking for better land, greater independence, a better standard of living. Orpen, looking back several decades, answers the question in philosophical rather than economic terms: “What did we seek? The unknown, the strange, the new, and because unknown and strange and new, therefore desirable” But Orpen, like most who recorded their memories, is less interested in a sociological analysis than in describing every day experiences. She also shows how the Civil War affected the lives of new settlers in Kansas. Her reminiscences are most interesting, perhaps, because she records the story of a girl's life on the prairie homestead and the challenges she faced. Orpen writes: “But if a little girl from whatever combination of circumstances found herself turned into a boy, or rather her father's right-hand man, at the age of eight years, she would acquire a sense of personal importance and responsibility that then and there her childishness would fall away from her like a worn-out garment” Doaty and “Auntie” accompanied Mr. Orpen to Kansas in 1862 when Doaty was seven years old. Doaty's mother and baby brother had died three years earlier, and Mr. Orpen believed the Kansas prairies would be a healthier place to live than in Virginia. Mr. Orpen clearly had a great deal of money to invest in the homesteading venture; in addition, he worked as an engineer for the railroad. His work and other activities consumed much of his time, so that Doaty and Auntie were frequently left in80 charge of the homestead. Mr. Or pen gave his daughter knives and taught her how to use them. He also taught her “how to turn screws, drive nails, and whittle sticks.” He refused to support Auntie's attempts to teach Doaty grammar, arguing that she was a bright child and would use correct grammar if she heard correct grammar.
