Lucy Buck

Lucy and Nellie Buck

Dr. William P. Buck

Quick Facts

Place of Birth:

Front Royal, Virginia

Date of Birth:

September 25, 1842

Date of Death:

August 20, 1918

Place of Burial:

Front Royal, Virgnia

Cemetery Name:

Prospect Hill Cemetery

Residence: Resident of Front Royal, Virginia
Role in War: Southern Diarist  
Born: September 25, 1842                                       
Died: August 20, 1918
Photo Credit/Donated by: Dr. William P. Buck

Description:

Lucy Rebecca Buck was a resident of Front Royal, Virginia. Lucy was born on September 25, 1842. She was only 17 years old when the war broke out. Lucy was the third of thirteen children. Her two brothers, Alvin and Irving served with their fellow Confederates. Her family owned a prosperous plantation on the outskirts of Front Royal called Bel Air, that still exits.

Lucy was educated in the typical style of southern women of the time. At school in Front Royal she was taught all the social skills women were expected to know. At home she and her sisters were taught things like needlework.

When the war broke, Lucy and her family found themselves in the middle of the fight. Both Union and Confederate Armies passed through this area of the Valley during the years of war. This gave Lucy a front row seat to the War.

In December 1861, Lucy began a diary of events, writing both her sentiments of the war and the events that she witnessed. Her diary was published post-war as Sad Earth, Sweet Heaven in 1973. Lucy survived the war and passed away on August 20, 1918. She is buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Front Royal, Virginia.

Sources:        

Buck, Lucy Rebecca. Shadows on My Heart: The Civil War Diary of Lucy Rebecca Buck of Virginia. Edited by Elizabeth R. Baer. Reprint ed. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2012