Old Enough to Die

Ridley Wills II tells the story of the Bostick family -- four brother, their sisters and mother, plus several in-laws and first cousins -- primarily through their letters, with background on what was happening in the family in the larger world of American history. The letters printed in the book come from the family of Irene Jackson Wills, wife of the author. The book does not deal with sweeping philosophical questions about history or morality, but with what happened to ordinary people who were caught up in the War Between the States and the events surrounding it. Both men and women in the family were participants in and victims of the war, and their reactions to their cruel fate draw the reader into their lives in a way that ordinary histories do not. Old Enough to Die is a fascinating story about a southern family, their lives, their devotion to the South, and their conviction that what they were doing was right.

Ridley Wills II is a native of Nashville with deep roots in Davidson and Williamson Counties, the areas where the Bostick family lived. He has taught courses in Nashville history for over ten years. Mr. Wills is also the author of A Walking Tour of Mr. Olivet Cemetery (1993), The History of Belle Meade: Mansion, Plantation, and Stud (1991), and Belle Meade Bloodlines, 1816-1903 (1990). In addition to Old Enough to Die, he's published other books with Hillsboro Press including History of the Belle Meade Country Club, Tennessee Governors at Home, and Touring Tennessee.

Ridley and his wife Irene Jackson Wills live at Meeting of the Waters, their historic Williamson County home, which was built between 1800 and 1809. They have three children and two grandchildren.