Edmond Genealogical Society’s August 17, 2026 meeting, presented by Dr. Richard Barnard, discusses the book “Heirlooms”. This book uses treasures from an old family chest to tell the forgotten stories of eight generations of American frontier women from Colonial Jamestown, Virginia to the Oklahoma Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The chapters put aside the stereotypes of Farmer’s Wives and Dance Hall Girls to weave an intergenerational tapestry of domestic life, strife, and hope in this new country.

Heirlooms is the third novel by Dr. Pamela Manners, a retired Professor of Psychology at Troy University (Alabama). Her earlier works are Emmy’s Time (2015) and Five Roads: A Novel (2021). She lives in Alabama with her husband David Smart.

Pam’s childhood friend, Dr. Richard Bernard, is coauthor. The women of Heirlooms are loosely based on Dr. Bernard’s ancestors. Professor of History and Graduate Dean Emeritus at the University of Central Oklahoma, Dr. Bernard has held several administrative posts, including president at Eastern Oklahoma State College. His previous works, all non-fiction books on U.S. history, include, The Melting Pot and the Altar: Marital Assimilation in Early Twentieth-Century Wisconsin; Sunbelt Cities: Politics and Growth Since World War II (co-editor and contributor); and Snowbelt Cities: Metropolitan Politics in the Northeast and Midwest since World War II (editor and contributor). He and his wife Terry live in Richard and Pam’s hometown of Edmond, Oklahoma. The book will be available for sale.

Edmond Genealogical Society meetings are free and open to the public. Meetings are held the third Monday of each month, except December, from 2:00–3:00 pm. The meetings are held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 15700 N. Penn, Oklahoma City. Enter through the doors on the south side of the building. The church offers plenty of parking and is fully handicap accessible. For more information, send an email to info@edmondgensoc.org, or visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/Edmondgensoc. If any changes are made to this event, we will post the information on our Facebook page and website.