The subtitle of this book is “Unearthing the hidden history of America’s cemeteries”, and that is basically what Melville accomplishes with this book. Each of the seventeen chapters discusses at least one cemetery, and sometimes more when he compares and contrasts other, sometimes nearby, cemeteries. For example, the (previously) whites only cemeteries, compared with the Read More
Tag: Early American History
That’s not in my American history book, by Thomas Ayres
This book is a compilation of people and incidents in American history that most people either don’t know about, or have learned incorrect information about. These short essays range in time from before the founding of the country, up to about the most recent turn of the century. Ayres is an investigative reporter, so he Read More
America Walks into a Bar, by Christine Sismondo
This is a fairly comprehensive look at drinking establishments from before the Revolution through Prohibition and up to the more recent past. The author had a little fun with the book and chapter titles. The chapters track the bar’s evolution: from A Pilgrim Walks into a Bar, to A Crusader Walks into a Bar, and Read More
The Trees, by Conrad Richter
I had never heard of this book, which I find a little surprising, as it is very reminiscent of the “Little House” series. I think one reason that this has not had the same amount of interest is that the family detailed in this book is not as “photogenic” as the Wilder family. Also, this Read More
The Cause, by Joseph J Ellis
The subtitle is “The American Revolution and its Discontents, 1773-1783”. This book is somewhat of an overview of some of the people involved in the Revolution, without going into too much detail about specific battles. This author discusses the major players in the time period instead. He spends much of the book, understandably, on George Read More
Middling Folk, by Linda H Matthews
This book tells the saga of one family, the Hammills, through several generations. Matthews starts her story in Scotland, moves to Ireland, and then brings her ancestors into the American colonies, before the Revolution. The title refers to the fact that the people she writes about were neither very rich and at the top of Read More
Savage Liberty, by Eliot Pattison
While this is historical fiction, and not a fictionalized version of an actual historical event, if you enjoy mysteries, then it is an interesting read. The author did do his research, and name-drops a number of actual historical figures. The main plot of the book, the mystery to be solved, is completely created by the Read More
The Boston Massacre: A Family History, by Serena Zabin
We all learned about the Boston Massacre in school when we studied the American Revolution. We saw the image of the uniformed British soldiers firing on the unarmed citizens. We learned that it was one of the events that pushed us inexorably to the point of war. But we didn’t learn the whole story. I Read More
Paper Promises, by Mazie M Harris
This is almost a coffee-table book, which is interesting, since it actually mentions what was probably the first “coffee-table” book, although I’m not sure people even had what we consider coffee tables in 1861. The subtitle is Early American Photography, and while this book does discuss photography – a bit of the history, a little Read More
How the Scots Made America, by Michael Fry
While this is not a comprehensive survey of American history, it definitely covers quite a bit of it. And all of it in relation to Scots, or the descendants of Scots, who came to America. The author makes the point that the unique Scottish personality helped make Americans and America who and what we are Read More