What is a Chifforobe?

What is a Chifforobe?

As an author of Historical Romance, I should know this word, wouldn’t you think?

Embarrassingly, I didn’t!

To take things a step further, I actually own one!

What?

Let me back up for a minute…a few nights ago, my husband and I were playing cards with his mom, and she wasn’t getting the cards she wanted every time she drew for them. The next time she drew, they were not the cards she wanted and so she said: “Aww, chifforobe!” Of course, me being the jokester that I am, I made a crack about her making up cuss words!

Turned out she wasn’t! She told me what the word meant, and of course, I had to challenge her. After all, I’d never heard of such a word.

Any guesses?

Turns out, it’s a piece of furniture that is like a wardrobe, but contains both drawers and a place to hang clothes! Funniest part is, I own such a piece of furniture and had NO idea what it was called. I was calling it a wardrobe all this time LOL

As you can see from the pic below of my very own chifforobe, I added shelves on the right side of it years ago to hold my quilts, and I’ve hung dipping candles from the rod that would normally hold clothes. At the bottom, you can see the iron runners that the doors (lost in a move) used to slide on.

So, there you have it…a chifforobe! Better be sure to read book 2 in my newest series, My Heart Belongs, to see how I use this word in my story. Now that I have a new word (as authors, we LOVE new words), you better bet that word is going to be in the next book.

My Chofforobe!

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Wells Fargo Stage Coach

In the old west, stage coach rides were the norm for passenger travel. Dime novels managed to romanticize these vessels and their long treacherous trips through dangerous and desolate trails, but the reality was, they were dangerous. Not only did they carry passengers of great importance, they carried gold and silver bullion shipments, and the U.S. mail.

Oftentimes, the drivers were killed, and sometimes passengers too. They were often robbed, and because of the tight schedule they tried to keep, they pushed the horses to their limits between way stations, where they would swap out the draft horses. Wheels and axles were not always in the best of shape, and there were occasions when they lost a wheel going thirty-plus miles an hour. For a carriage made of wood, toppling over into ditches could mean total devastation for passengers, drivers, and sometimes, the horses.

The term shotgun, when referring to being a passenger in a vehicle, comes from the old west term that meant being in the position (armed with a shotgun) to protect passengers and the gold shipments on stage coaches. This man had to keep a close eye on the horizon while the driver concentrated on the road. Both worked together to keep everyone safe, but they couldn't always avoid being bushwhacked.

All of the stories I write, I romanticize the stage coach ride, which makes for a great story. Truth is, I prefer to keep the romantic side of the stage coach ride alive. I feel that if someone wants to know the reality of it, they can look up historical writings. For me, I'll stick to fiction and the romantic ride on a stage coach that takes my characters to a new and interesting place. If you want a taste of the old west and the romantic ride in a real stage coach, visit Tombstone, Arizona, where they still give tours in them.

*To see more pictures from Lisa Towns Meyers, see her Facebook page here: Lisa's Country Photos

This Mail Order Brides Series is based in Tombstone Arizona in the 1800's where my characters rode the stage coach to arrive as Mail Order Brides.

Civil War

Whenever there’s talk of the North and South, a lot of things come to mind, namely the Civil War.

From 1861 to 1865, Union soldiers fought against Confederate soldiers to uphold the Constitution.

The Confederates attacked Fort Sumter shortly after Abraham Lincoln was elected. 

Several southern slave states declared their secession from the US to form the Confederate states of America. Northern states, where slavery was legal, were known as the union.

The war lasted more than four years until the Union finally won when Robert E Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S Grant at the battle of Appomattox, but not before approximately three quarters of a million soldiers were killed in combat. The Confederacy finally collapsed and slavery was abolished, freeing approximately 4 million slaves.

Please enjoy the pictures of a reenactment of the Civil War provided by my good friend, Lisa Towns Myers. If you would like to see more of her pictures, please visit Lisa’s country photos at the link below.

Lisa's Country Photos

 

CLICK HERE to see Giveaways on Samantha's website

Code of the West

Sheriff's Legacy, Preacher Outlaw, Outlaw in Petticoats HERE Code of the West In the days of the old west, men lived by an unwritten code, a set of rules that forced them to respect each other as men. They lived by the code, and often died by the code. If a man broke the code, he was often hazed until he either gave in and complied, or he was branded a coward and cast out. In the case of “fair fight” rules—part of the code, a man was subject to a duel if he was called out or challenged, or if another man broke the code and his honor. If he was not a fast-gun, he would die defending his honor, but it was better than living the rest of his life being branded as a coward if he backed down from the challenge. Oftentimes, depending on the time of day the offense occurred, these “fair fights” or duels were scheduled the following day at high-noon. This was to give each man the advantage of not having the sun at his back or in his eyes, giving each man a clear view of his target. The code of the west did not just apply to “gun-control”, though most of it was gun-related, keeping each man in check where his weapon was concerned. The code of the west was a way of life, and it extended beyond living by the golden rule. It was a rule of conduct in every aspect of the western man’s life, from how he treated others, to how he treated his horse.

Never shoot a woman ──── Never shoot a man in the back ──── Never shoot an unarmed man ──── Never borrow another man’s horse without his consent ──── Always keep your word   Samantha Bayarr http://www.christianbookreads.com/

Historical Romance

Written by Samantha Bayarr

When I think of historical romance, one thing comes to mind; the old west. From dime novels to mining towns and outlaws, the old west is full of a sort of "romance" that is unmatched by anything else in our history. As a writer, I found the old west to be the perfect backdrop for several of my historical romance books, Tombstone, Arizona, holding a particular interest for me because of its romantic history. Don't get me wrong, violence played a big part in the romantic interest of this rough and rowdy town, a place known as The Town too Tough to Die. 

{Reenactment of the famous Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, AZ}

  

  

We know better today, but the stories have become more romanticized as the days have gone by. Back then, women seemed to love tough men who’d strap a six-gun to his hips and a badge on his chest, but they were also quick to mourn the men who were hanged.  Men like Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers have been romanticized since the famous Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, in Cochise County, on October 26, 1881. That afternoon, approximately 30 shots were fired in the span of about 30 seconds’ time, and 3 were killed, 3 wounded.

{Reproduction of the Tombstone Epitaph (a gift from my friend, Lisa Towns Myers)}

Doctor Goodfellow, a man I've characterized in my books, was the treating physician for the wounded lawmen after the gunfight, which included deputized, Doc Holliday. There was no shortage of gunfights in the old west, but that fated afternoon at the OK Corral was the one most remembered in our western history.

In the old west, the term Cowboy was used for an outlaw, and ranchers were referred to as cattlemen, their hired hands often referred to as saddle-tramps because they were often drifters and spent a lot of time in the saddle. If a cattleman was called a “cowboy”, it was considered an insult. The term cowboy today means something entirely different. The word alone stirs up plenty of romance, and many a book has been written (mine included) where the cowboy was the hero and not the outlaw, as was the reality back then.

When I began to research Arizona territory, Tombstone, in particular, for a series of mail-order-brides books I was working on, I was amazed at the amount of information on the area. I was able to find an old fire marshal's street map of the area in the 1880’s, allowing me to take my characters and readers accurately through the town just as it was back then. Although my books were set in 1885, after the famous gunfight, I was able to include Doctor Goodfellow and the sheriff at the time in my stories, although I added fictitious other sheriffs, deputies, and marshals.

For more interesting tidbits on Tombstone, Arizona, please look for my future posts every third Monday of the month. In the meantime, enjoy the other wonderful posts right here almost daily.

All original pictures were used with permission from the photographer, Lisa Towns Myers. You can find more of her wonderful pictures here: Lisa's Country Photos

Best-Selling Author, Samantha Bayarr, has written over 100 books in Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Western Romance, Amish Romance, and Amish Suspense. Her favorite genre is Historical Romance. 

A former Paralegal, Samantha lives in an historical home in a small town in Florida with her husband, John Foster, who writes Christian Children’s Books. She spends her free time illustrating her husband's books, drawing and painting each by hand.

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