From time to time I post some of the sources I use for my historical fiction. I write a lot about the Victorian Era, roughly 1830 to 1900, and probably spend twice as much time researching a story as writing it. To give the real feel of an environment, you have to put in pieces from all over to give a sense of reality. One source that is very good is on popular songs of various time periods. Link found here:
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2aOUaQ/:z!0VJYk!:XhM+EubB/www.contemplator.com/america/
Almost any time is incomplete without the music of the era. However, knowing what was popular in Cincinnati in 1854 is not something you know off the top of your head. After using a nice reference site like this, you can look at songs, lyrics and other information. Then you have to reconcile any use with other data. For instance, if you want to use “I’ll take you home Kathleen,” you should find out when it was written, by whom, how was it performed? Where was it distributed? Was it orchestral, sheet music, able to be played on violin or harmonica? Was it high-brow, low-brow or pop? After that research, often you have to turn to another song, and another, just to get the right time, place, setting and folks who are listening.
That one song may just represent a sentence in the set-up to a place where action occurs in the story. It is the little details like that I am most proud of in my stories. Many won’t know that I spent hours researching the song to get it right, but I do. You can’t always get the answer you need, but when you can, I think you owe it to the reader to do so.
Here is an example of the section I have used for 1880 America:
Early 1800s to the Civil War
- America
- Arkansas Traveler
- Ben Bolt
- Botany Bay (2)
- The Buffalo
- Buffalo Gals
- Young Edwin in the Lowlands Low
- The Female Highwayman
- Flash Lad
- Gaily the Troubadour
- Lilly Dale
- Long, Long Ago
- The Lost Lady Found
- Lovely Molly
- Marine’s Hymn
- Mary of the Moor
- Old Colony Times
- The Old Oaken Bucket
- The Pesky Sarpent
- The Pretty Ploughboy
- Reynardine
- Rosalie, The Prairie Flower
- Simple Gifts
- Turkey In the Straw
- Van Diemen’s Land
- Woodman, Spare that Tree
Civil War
- Battle Hymn of the Republic
- Bonnie Blue Flag
- Darling Nelly Gray
- Dear Evelina, Sweet Evelina
- Dixie
- The Drinking Gourd
- Garry Owen
- The Girl I Left Behind Me (1)
- The Girl I Left Behind Me (2)
- John Brown’s Body
- The Sword of Bunker Hill
- Tenting Tonight
- Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!
- Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! (Confederate Lyrics)
- The Vacant Chair
- When Johnny Comes Marching Home
Michael Bradley - Time Traveler 