The 1864 Diary of Mrs. Sarah Jane Rousseau is receiving some wonderful attention from readers, experts, awards committees, publishing professionals, and more! Read more about the book at the official page by clicking here.
Nevada Historical Society “Q” (Quarterly)
(Dec. 2024)
Review Excerpts:
Sarah and her husband traveled with a small group, along with their horses and oxen, which also played a prominent role in her narrative. Animals appear as both modes of transportation and the source for many meals. Each day Sarah notes the environment in terms of the health of the couple’s horses and availability of food for the migrants.
Many of her entries communicate a perception of natural resources that are ownership-free and available for use by all. Most of her diary entries lack an awareness of Native Americans having a territorial claim… In this period, Sarah, like most Americans, saw western water, plants, and animals as free for the taking…
The vital importance of horses to westward migration grows more eveident toward the end of Sarah’s journey to California as she recounts with alarm their horses’ pain and even death. As both a mode of transportation and as living beings who often died due to the journey’s wear and tear on their bodies, the diary emphasizes that horses and oxen often gave their lives to move a nation from one shore to another.
Any graduate student undertaking research for a paper, or even a thesis, regarding overland travel to the West before the coming railroad will benefit from the firsthand account observations of someone like MRs. Rousseau about the western environment, the migrants, and even the animals on the trails to the Far West.
-Sondra Cosgrove, College of Southern Nevada (Nevada Historical Society “Q” (Vol. 67, No. 4, 2024)
Read more. Learn more.
Writer’s Digest – Self Published Book Awards
(Oct. 2024)
Read the Judge’s review for The 1864 Diary of Mrs. Sarah Jane Rousseau: “Exemplary in its voice and writing style [with] a strong appeal for most readers in its intended genre.” Learn more about the Writer’s Digest Self-Publish Book Awards and Literary Review here.
Nebraska History
(Winter 2024, Excerpts)
Nebraska History Magazine is the Nebraska State Historical Society’s quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal. Learn more about the NSHS and its publications here. The complete review can be found in the Winter 2024 issue, page 216.
Excerpts: Though snippets of this journal have been available previously in various formats, its editor Janelle Molony brings a meticulous editing pen to an amazing story of a woman’s travels across the plains on the California Trail.
Her often short, but vivid descriptions of the landscapes, towns, and peoples show the development of the West and its continued place as contested space before the arrival of the railroad.
Rousseau’s diary is not without conflict or exciting adventure. She details dangerous Native American stampedes and raids, while also noting individual interactions with Native Americans interested in trade, information, or the migrants themselves.
As the end of her journey approached and fears of starvation, dying livestock, and the daunting task of crossing the desert Southwest grew paramount, things seemed extraordinarily bleak, yet their party pressed on.
-Sage Friedline & Darin Tuck, MidAmerica Nazarene University for Nebraska History
Finalist for Women Writing the West’s WILLA Award for Scholarly Nonfiction
Judges’ Comments:
“Molony’s edit of the Rousseau diary is exemplary” & “Sarah Jane’s own words capture details that leave the reader immersed in the time and location of the book. The reader is given a look at the Sierra Nevadas, Western Plains, and Mojave Desert from the view of a woman riding in a covered wagon into unknown territory and many challenges and dangers.”
Learn more about Women Writing the West here.
The Overland Journal (Spring 2024)
The Overland Journal is OCTA’s peer-reviewed quarterly journal of scholarly research into the emigrant experience and the trails. In addition to research articles, the journal regularly includes book reviews and letters to the editor.
EXCERPT: “This edition, prepared by editor Janelle Molony, stands as a significant contribution to trail diaries, providing readers with an authentic and complete account of the expedition.
The diary’s publication history adds an intriguing layer to its narrative. Alternate versions have been in circulation since 1958, when the San Bernardino Historical Society first issued selected portions focusing only on California. The authorship was also misattributed to Dr. James A. Rousseau, husband of Sarah Jane Rousseau. Subsequently two variant reprintings were issued in 2000 and 2002, both with editorial alterations and conclusions at odds with actual events and content.
In this new publication, the diary is presented in its entirety, sourced directly from the original document held in the Molony family estate. … Of special interest is the fact that the captain of the train was Nicholas Earp, patriarch of the famous Earp clan.
The diary’s author, Sarah Jane Rousseau, offers a poignant perspective. Her struggle with severe rheumatism as the train departs provides a compelling, if undisclosed, narrative thread. She was confined to a chair throughout most of the journey.
Sarah Jane’s commentary includes a description of the Salt Lake Valley, a visit by Brigham Young, and the serenading band traveling with him, as well as remarks on the site of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The desert sufferings, accidents and illness, and the cantankerous tirades of Nicholas Earp are all detailed. Merrill Mattes awarded the diary four of five stars in Platte River Road Narratives.
In conclusion, the “Rousseau Diary” is a gem for collectors of trail diaries and history enthusiasts alike. Editor Janelle Molony deserves commendation for making this piece of history accessible to a wider audience. The diary’s eloquence, historical context, and personal insights make it invaluable!“
–Robert Clark (Oregon-California Trails Association)
BookFest 2023
For more information about The BookFest Awards and to see the list of winners, please visit the Awards Page on The BookFest website.
Janelle Molony is a winner of a 3rd Place Award at The BookFest Awards Fall 2023 for the book(s) titled The 1864 Diary of Mrs. Sarah Jane Rousseau. The book is honored in the History category. The BookFest honors authors who create outstanding works of fiction and nonfiction. The BookFest’s mission is rooted in the belief that literature has transformative power and, in a desire to support and celebrate those who create it.
The BookFest recognizes and promotes excellence in literature and elevates authors and creatives who contribute outstanding work to the literary world.
Desireé Duffy, Founder of The BookFest, says, “I am delighted to announce Janelle Molony as a winner of The BookFest Awards. This year’s competition was exceptional, and Molony should be very proud of this outstanding accomplishment.”
RoundUp Magazine
“This book is in true diary format… Daily trepidations concerning food, terrain, illness, encounters with other travelers, especially Indian Tribes and unpredictable weather are mentioned.”
-Sandy Whiting (April 2024)
RoundUp is a publication of the Western Writers of America. Learn more about this organization here.
National Federation of Press Writers
(2024 Literary Contest, Learn more about the NFPW here.)
“The editor’s commitment to preserving the historical record and the writer’s voice shines through on every page of this diary… Masterfully done!” -Helen S. Plotkin (2024)
The Oskaloosa Herald
(June 19, 2023, read the full article here)
“It was a journey that would bring the Rousseaus into contact with pivotal figures, including early Mormon president Brigham Young, Paiute Chief Kanosh, the John Brown family of Harper’s Ferry infamy and Nicholas Earp, father of the well-known lawman Wyatt Earp. … A dedicated diarist who witnessed such pivotal events in history as the American Civil War, Sarah’s inner perspective of life in frontier American life captured Molony’s attention and inspired her to edit her ancestor’s work so that it can be read as a compelling glimpse into the national story.”
The Journal of Arizona History
(Winter, 2023)
“Sarah recorded the entire journey from start to
finish in extensive and descriptive daily diary entries. Molony, Rousseau’s third great-granddaughter, faithfully transcribed the complete diary from the original manuscript in her family’s possession, adding only occasional annotations.
The 1864 Diary of Mrs. Sarah Jane Rousseau provides a valuable day-by-day account of what it was like to cross the continent overland in the middle of the nineteenth century.”
– AZ Journal of History (Winter 2023)
San Bernardino Sun
(March 21, 2022, read the full article here)
“Of the hundreds of first-hand accounts by pioneers traveling west during the 19th Century, one of the most eloquent is a diary written by Sarah Jane Rousseau, a woman traveling by wagon train from Iowa to the San Bernardino Valley.”
– Nicholas Cataldo (San Bernardino Sun)
From Susan Marie Malloy,
Author of The Stars Do Not Judge
(August 1, 2023, read the full review here)
Excerpts: “One of the points that makes this diary enjoyable and believable to read is that the editor left all that Sarah Jane Rousseau wrote, including misspellings, grammatical missteps, and only bracketed the occasional comma or period to make reading clear.
Sarah Jane Rousseau writes about the simple occurrences during the trek from Iowa to California, and points out the camaraderie, arguments, fights, deaths, and a birth. We also learn that she saw Brigham Young and in her wagon train was Nicholas Earp.”
Pamela Greenwood, Curtis Family Descendant
(July, 2007, see the full write-up here)
Excerpts: “This was a harrowing seven month trip with three pregnant women and many small children, and an arthritic invalid (Sarah Jane) made during the last year of the Civil War. … Nicholas Porter Earp is the most problematic person on the trip, from Jane’s point of view. Wyatt Earp was sixteen when he made this trip. In later years, he claimed to have provided Buffalo meat to the wagon train with his first gun, which his father had given him before their start. Sarah Jane does not appear to have received any of Wyatt’s largess.
…One is struck by the uniqueness of Sarah Jane’s situation. First, she is invalided and thus spared much of the daily drudge of chores discussed by many. She says she was “almost useless” at the beginning of the trip and by the end she says she “can help a little.”
Sarah Jane is meticulous in counting each day’s mileage. Twenty five miles is a good day. Jane never misses a day, and is remarkably factual in her reporting. She notes earthquake activity, volcanic activity, and problems with quick sand in the rivers. Like other women she is knowledgeable about which grasses are best for the stock animals. Noting the weather conditions and the passing scenery are in every diary written by women on these trips. However not many travelers had a “marine glass” for their amusement and safety.”
The Pella Chronicle
(Oct. 25, 2001)
Samenleving/Community:
“It is especially interesting as the families mentioned in the diary were among the first American settlers in the Marion County region. … [Sarah] Jane Rousseau expounded upon the marvels of nature the Great Creator has provided. … She relishes the taste of Sage Chickens that they are catching.” – Murt Kooi, Special to the Chronicle
Merrill J. Mattes, Co-Founder of the
Oregon-California Trails Association
Review of 4 out of 5 stars in Mattes’ Platte River Road Narratives (1988). This bibliography lists significant eye-witness accounts of travel over the central Platte River route between 1812 and 1860. This eminent trails historian identifies the author, form, and the present location of each diary. In a brief synopsis, he gives each trip’s chronology, route highlights and also provides a scholarly analysis of the account.
Merrill J. Mattes is a member of the OCTA Hall of Fame. Read more here.
San Bernardino County Museum
(Winter, 1958)
“The Rousseau Diary will be especially interesting to all teachers and students of the Westward Movement.” -Gerald A. Smith
What’s Next?
- Order a signed copy of the book here.
- Check out the companion book, Emigrant Tales of the Platte River Raids!
- Hire Janelle Molony yo speak at your next function. Submit your event details through the contact page.