Excerpt...The 1232 persons living in Virginia, January, 1625, dwelt at twenty-five locations. Several of these were large plantations, such as Peirsey's Hundred, Mr. Treasurer's (George Sandys'), Martin's Hundred, Captain Roger Smith's, Captain Samuel Mathews', Mr. Crowder's, Mr. Blaney's and Newport News, where colonists lived in groups, presumably as employees for the promotion of extensive enterprises. As previously mentioned a number of these colonists at Henrico, James City, Ch...

"Domestic Life in Virginia in the Seventeenth Century" by Annie Lash Jester offers a detailed exploration of the everyday lives of Virginia's early settlers. The book delves into the social structures, family dynamics, and cultural practices that defined domestic life during this formative period. Jester meticulously examines various aspects such as housing, food, clothing, and the roles of men, women, and children, providing readers with a vivid picture of how these early Virginians navig...

Facts in a nude state are not liable criminally, any more than bright and beautiful children commit a felony by being born thus; but it is the solemn duty of those having these children in charge to put appropriate, healthful, and even attractive apparel upon them at the earliest possible moment. It is thus with facts. They are the frame-work of history, not the drapery. They are like the cold, hard, dishevelled, damp, and uncomfortable body under the knife of the demonstrator, not the bri...

The dramatic story of a founding father, his illegitimate son, and the tragedy of their conflict during the American Revolution—from the acclaimed author of The Lincolns.Ben Franklin is the most lovable of America’s founding fathers. His wit, his charm, his inventiveness—even his grandfatherly appearance—are legendary. But this image obscures the scandals that dogged him throughout his life. In The Loyal Son, award-winning historian Daniel Mark Ep...

E. Boyd Smith's "The Story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith" offers a richly illustrated retelling of one of America's most enduring legends. Smith masterfully weaves historical fact with folklore, presenting a narrative that captures the complexities of early colonial encounters between Native Americans and English settlers. The book's literary style is accessible, employing vivid imagery and engaging prose that brings to life the tumultuous era of early 17th-century Virginia. Positio...

In "Great Fortunes, and How They Were Made," James Dabney McCabe embarks on a meticulous exploration of America's industrial rise in the late 19th century, chronicling the lives and fortunes of notable figures who shaped the nation's economic landscape. McCabe employs a compelling narrative style, blending biographical sketches with economic analysis, presenting each story as a testament to the American Dream. The book traverses a range of industries and profiles magnates like Andrew Carne...

Now one day to the court of Eric there came Bjarni the son ofHeriulf. This Bjarni was a far traveler. He had sailed many timesupon the seas, and when he came home he had ever some fresh taleof marvel and adventure to tell. But this time he had a tale totell more marvelous than any before. For he told how far away acrossthe sea of Greenland, where no man had sailed before, he had founda new, strange land.But when the people asked news ...

They began their existence as everyday objects, but in the hands of award-winning historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, fourteen domestic items from preindustrial America–ranging from a linen tablecloth to an unfinished sock–relinquish their stories and offer profound insights into our history.In an age when even meals are rarely made from scratch, homespun easily acquires the glow of nostalgia. The objects Ulrich investigates unravel those simplified illusions, revealing important clu...

"East of the Sun and West of the Moon" vividly chronicles the adventurous journey of Theodore Roosevelt and his son Kermit as they explore the remote and lesser-known regions of central Asia. Driven by a passion for both adventure and scientific discovery, the Roosevelts embark on an expedition to document the natural history of areas scarcely explored by Americans, focusing on the Pamirs and Tian Shan mountains, particularly in pursuit of the elusive ovis poli. The narrative intricately w...

In this fascinating social history of America’s first frontier, Charles Clark brings to life the people and settlements of Maine and New Hampshire before the Revolutionary War. He describes what life was like beyond the Merrimack from the early fishing camps on the coast to the settlement of mid-eighteenth-century wilderness towns in the interior.The sturdy, independent men who first settled the craggy islands and salt marsh harbors of northern New England were a very different bre...