I was for many years the only daughter and, in consequence, was much petted and indulged. My dear father’s fortunes have been sadly varied. My first recollection is of a sufficiency, every comfort. Then came wealth. When I reached womanhood all of life’s choicest gifts were mine, but the wheels turned, and we were poor, very poor. Father labored day and night, and could barely make both ends meet. I was young, hopeful, and energetic. I set to work and by doing various kinds of fancy work, at which I was adept, I earned enough to clothe myself, except shoes, without calling on father.

When the evacuation in the South spread to the region in which lived Mrs. Levy Pember, there were all kinds of looters on both sides of the war. The day before the evacuation was to begin, Mrs. Levy Pember had received delivery of 30 gallons of whiskey in order to help the wounded ameliorate their pain and suffering. The day of the evacuation Mrs. Levy Pember was confronted by a band of Yankees who determined that she should be relieved of her whiskey supply. Mrs. Levy Pember confronted the men and refused to hand over the liquid medicine. She informed them that from what they knew of her, they were silly to think she would give them the whiskey willingly. They were determined to seize it nonetheless. Mrs. Levy Pember, showing all the determination, strength, and courage of Scarlett O’Hara when she shoots Yankee looters, refused and took action when they encroached upon her “But I had a little friend, which usually reposed quietly on the shelf, but had been removed to my pocket in the last twenty-four hours, more from a sense of protection than from any idea that it would be called into active service; so before he had time to push me one inch from my position, or to see what kind of an ally was in my hand, that sharp click, a sound so significant and so different from any other, struck upon his ear, and sent him back amidst his friends, pale and shaken” (Levy Pember 7).

Cohen Seixas, E. Southern Patriot. http://askj.about.com/main/metaAnswer.asp?MetaEngine=About.com&logQID=937853BFC518D41180A8009027737D4F&qCategory=love&qSource=0&frames=yes&site_name=Jeeves&scope=web&r=x&MetaTopic=Jewish+Women%27s+History&MetaURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshistory.about.com%2Fmsubjewish.htm%3Fiam%3Dask%26terms%3DJewish%2Bwomen%2Bin%2B1800s%253F&EngineOrdinal=4&ItemOrdinal=5&ask=Jewish+women+in+1800s%3F+metasearch&origin=0&MetaList=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshistory.about.com%2Fmsubjewish.htm%3Fiam%3Dask%26t