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Acknowledgments Over a decade has passed since I first discovered transatlantic marriages as a master’s student in the dusty plains of West Texas. Throughout the researching and writing process, I have been, and continue to be, rewarded with amazing life—first as a scholar, now as a wife, mother, and professor in the Piney Woods of East Texas. To say that I have acquired a few personal and professional debts along the way would be a tremendous understatement. I hope a few pages can come even close to expressing my gratitude for the opportunities that made this experience and book possible and adequately thank the faculty, friends, and family members who have made this road so incredible. My love affair with history began at Angelo State University, whose dedicated history faculty introduced me to one beautiful story after another. There, John Wheeler talked me out of being a pediatrician, and Shirley Eoff made me love British history. I am indebted to both James Ward and James Siekmeier, who steered me toward diplomatic history. I can never thank these scholars enough for their commitment to their students and to me as a very young historian. My years at Texas Tech University were brief but influential. To David Snead, I owe the genesis of this project. Paul Carlson, Alwyn Barr, Paul Deslandes, Aliza Wong, and Julie Willett offered critical instruction in what it meant to be a historian . Likewise, the inspirational faculty at Texas Christian University raised the bar even higher and helped me reach goals I sometimes thought impossible. Claire Sanders, Rebecca Sharpless, Sara Sohmer, Ken Stevens, and Steven Woodworth challenged me and served as tremendous role models. I especially thank Mark Gilderhus, who took me under his wing, showed me early on the importance of balancing family and work, and never failed to provide clarity on a personal and professional basis. His belief in me and in this project helped bring it to fruition. Good colleagues and excellent friends abound at Stephen F. Austin State University , and I am most fortunate to be here. On a daily basis, I enjoy an energetic xi department, am surrounded by a terrific college, and work with truly amazing professors across the university. I am most thankful to my department chairs, Troy Davis and Mark Barringer, for their guidance and assistance and to early career mentors Randi Cox and Phil Catton, who taught me so much. Dean Brian Murphy, of the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, offered me countless opportunities , and Provost Ric Berry has provided tremendous professional support. Special friends offered much needed encouragement: Perky Beisel, Kathleen Belanger , Lesa Beverly, Jill Carrington, Leslie Cecil, Karol Chandler-Ezell, Ken Collier, Ray Darville, Dianne Dentice, Karen Embry-Jenlink, Piero Fenci, Tracey Hasbun, Erika Hoagland, Joyce Johnston, Linda Levitt, Mike Martin, Christine McDermott, Darrel McDonald, John Moore, Jannah Nerren, Emmerentie Oliphant, Heather Olson-Beal, Jeana Paul-Urena, Amanda Rudolph, Paul Sandul, Tom Segady, Scott Sosebee, Louise Stoehr, Bob Szafran, Janet Tareilo, Mike Tkacik, Gail Weatherly, and Kimberly Welsh have made SFA a special place to live and work. I am grateful, too, to dear friends and colleagues outside my home university. Kim Kato, James Hindman, and Megan Weatherly have offered great friendship and professional guidance for many years. Paul Boller, Frank Costigliola, Jessica Gienow-Hecht, and Kyle Longley each played a critical role in the early development of this project and offered much needed perspective. Early opportunities to publish with some notable historians and test the significance of transatlantic marriages marked important turning points for this book. I express great thanks to Charlotte Wallin, Daniel Silander, Kimberly Jensen, and Erika Kuhlam for their willingness and patience to afford me such chances. Catherine Allgor offered generous encouragement and remarkable advice to me when she did not need to or stand to benefit in any way; rarely do junior scholars experience such kindness. Her thoughts made this book a much better product. A special thanks goes to Claire Phelan for being an extraordinary historian, amazing colleague, and treasured friend through the best and worst of times. I shudder to think how different the past decade would have been without her and how much this project would have suffered had it not been for her candor in asking the hard questions, demanding the very best, and never doubting that this project would reach its conclusion. My education and professional development have been inundated with good friends and great opportunities. None of it would have happened without the...

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