Esther Ambrosine Babb

As I Remember Esther Ambrosine Babb

Esther Ambrosine Babb-who was born in 1886 and died in 1981-is one of those remarkable women whose lives span the American woman's experience from covered wagons to jet planes. In an era when women were largely confined to home, the classroom, or the sick bed, Aunt Esther, who loved to travel, used her teaching credential as a ticket to the world. She took jobs far from home, and then, when the urge hit her, resigned those jobs and sought out others. She and her husband Phil were homesteaders. They hit the road during the Dust Bowl years, traveling in search of work. They built cabins, lived in a corncrib, and borrowed or rented houses close to wherever their worksite happened to be. And, as Aunt Esther puts it, they found a place for themselves in whatever community they happened to find themselves in. There's a lot of family history in here. But there's also a love story. When Aunt Esther gives birth Uncle Phil is there, holding her hands. When the children grow up, they work together in the fields, picking cotton and vegetables. Aunt Esther is not a sentimental writer, but the love is there in every story. Strength is there, too, and the kind of adaptability that makes life possible even in the most difficult circumstances.