North met South--an enduring love affair began--the birth of a President resulted. This 1853 story, told through one year of courtship letters between New York City's Theodore Roosevelt (Senior) and Miss Mittie Bulloch of Georgia, echoes through time. Her heritage is one of patriotism, education, and Southern social standing. He is the fifth son of a wealthy New York City businessman of Dutch heritage. Their courtship, conducted mostly through letters, provides the reader with an intimate peek into their personal love story.

Transcribed and presented just as written, these love letters tell the story not only of two young lovers but of the social mores of 1853. Huddleston and Koehler allow the letters to stand on their own, presenting only the necessary background to the story, a glimpse of antebellum life, and explanations of persons and events as needed.