Southeast Texas native ELLEN WALKER RIENSTRA is a violinist and historical consultant with undergraduate and graduate degrees from Lamar University.

Rienstra's sister, JUDITH WALKER LINSLEY, also earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Lamar University and is a researcher for the McFaddin-Ward House, a history instructor at Lamar, a newspaper columnist, and editor of The Texas Gulf Historical and Biographical Record.

The collaborator on this book, JO ANN STILES, is a retired associate professor of history at Lamar University.