When Rebecca Stark-Nugent began researching old documents and records more than a decade ago to learn more about her family’s history, little did she know what secrets she would uncover.

“It became much more than that,” she said of the 13-year journey that helped produce her first book, “If the Devil Had a Wife,” which was self-published and released in February 2010.

The book chronicles the Stark family background, focusing specifically on Stark-Nugent’s grandfather, H.J. Lutcher Stark, and his relationship with his third wife, Nelda. H.J. Lutcher Stark was heir to the Lutcher and Moore Lumber Company, which owned property in Louisiana, Texas and other states. Most of the book centers around Orange, Texas, the family’s hometown.

“It’s basically about greed and the measures people will take to gain whatever they want,” she said.

The author, who spoke during the Montaigne Society’s monthly meeting on Wednesday, said she wrote the book to “tell our family’s side of the story.” Instead of listing her name as the author, Nugent used Frank Mills, her late father’s birth name, which was changed to Homer Stark after he was adopted by the Stark family.

Nugent spent years poring over 450,000 documents and traveling to interview people who knew the inside details surrounding her family’s history.

“From the very first box (of documents), I was hooked,” she said. “You start putting the pieces together.”

Nugent said the book’s title came about after one of Homer’s friends used the line to describe Nelda Stark. The bright red cover includes an open pill bottle, with a label that reads “poison.”

The word “Alden” is printed on the bottle, which she said is an anagram for Nelda. The book includes documents printed in the back that show receipts for phenobarbital, which is used to treat seizures and can be fatal in large doses.

In the book, Nugent said Nelda posed as a nurse without obtaining an actual nursing degree. She said H.J. Lutcher Stark’s death in 1965 is surrounded by mystery. Her uncle, Bill Stark, who was set to leave the hospital after battling cancer, died within a day following a “private visit” by Nelda.

“Too many people died the next day when she was around,” Nugent said. “Nobody ever put it together.”

According to the book, H.J. Lutcher Starks married his first wife, Nita, in 1911. She died in 1939 under the care of Nelda. In 1941, Stark married his second wife, Ruby Belle Childers, who was Nelda’s sister. She died in July 1942 while also under the care of Nelda. Lutcher married Nelda in December of 1943. Nelda died in December of 1999.

Reaction

Upon releasing the book, Nugent said she was unsure about how readers would respond. She said the book is not sold in Orange because she doesn’t “want to put anyone in harm’s way.”

The reception at an antique shop in Bridge City, Texas, 9 miles outside of Orange, was a different story. What was supposed to be a three-hour book signing turned into a day-long event, with some familiar faces stopping by to praise Nugent’s work and her search for the truth.

“It was like a hometown party,” she said. “It appears that a lot of the information that was in the book, a lot of people whispered or talked about for years.”

Nugent said some of the most cherished praise came from her sixth-grade teacher.

“I knew when (she) walked in and said, ‘This is a great book,’ I didn’t care what anybody else said about it,” she said.

Nugent said the Bridge City store was selling more books than were being purchased on Amazon.com. She said a documentary on the book was recently finished over the course of a year.

However, the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, which was created in 1961, has printed ads condemning the book.

“As much criticism they made of me, they never sued me,” she said.

Nugent, a former public relations director, lives in Bryan, Texas.

• Online: www.ifthedevilhadawife.com

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