Book Research at the Civil War Museum in New Orleans

As research for My Daughter's Legacy (Cousins of the Dove), I spent some time recently in the Civil War Museum in New Orleans, LA.  Built in Confederate Memorial Hall, the museum has an excellent collection, and the workers there were extremely helpful in answering all sorts of book-related questions.

One item that caught my eye was this doll, which belonged to the daughter of President Jefferson Davis.  My co-author, Leslie Gould, and I actually have a scene set at the Davis’s house, in the children’s nursery, so I imagine we just might give this doll a mention in the story.

Also in the story, our heroine’s mother wears tintypes in a locket (though hers are on a necklace rather than a bracelet.)  This was a cool find regardless, and the photo looked exactly as I’d pictured.

The Confederate commerce raider CSS Alabama plays a part in the story, so I was pleased to find this painting of the ship:

And here are a few more items that were on display…

In the end, this museum was exactly what I needed here in the home stretch of writing this book. Many thanks to my family for going there with me, especially my two daughters, Emily and Lauren, whom I found waiting patiently for me out front once I’d finished my research inside.  They’ve been doing these research trips with me for so long now, they know the drill!