Start with high-confidence 19th century u.s. books, then narrow by subgenre or adjacent topics.
The Children's Blizzard
David Laskin
Turn Homeward, Hannalee
Patricia Beatty, Various
Harvey Girl
Sheila Wood Foard
American Childhood
Todd Brewster
Fighting for the Forest
P. O’Connell Pearson
Mountain-laurel and Maidenhair
Louisa May Alcott
The Happy Family
B.M. Bower