1692 revisited: the story of
Martha and Sarah Carrier as
told by a descendant
Since the Boston Globe chose the 100 best of New England books, I decided to pick some of the books I’ve read recently that have given me insight into a time and place that parallels my New England genealogy research:
- Tess Gerritsen, The Bone Garden (fiction; 1830s Boston medical school and present-day mystery; warning: graphic medical descriptions)
- Kathleen Kent, The Heretic’s Daughter (historical fiction that weaves family lore and detailed research into the story of Martha Carrier and her daughter Sarah, both accused witches in 1692; author is a descendant of Martha Carrier)
- Eve LaPlante, Salem Witch Judge: The Life and Repentance of Samuel Sewall (biography; Sewall was one of the great diarists, so the author had much material to mine, as she delves into small-town Boston and its environs; author is a descendant of Samuel Sewall)
- William Martin, Harvard Yard (fiction; a mystery about a Shakespearean manuscript and the story of Harvard University from its founding to the present)
- William Martin, Back Bay (fiction; set against the changing landscape of Boston, a mystery about a lost Paul Revere tea set)
- Adele Crockett Robertson, The Orchard: A Memoir (memoir; one woman single-handedly tries to save the family farm in Ipswich, Massachusetts, during the Great Depression)
The Boston Globe didn't mention any of these titles, but they had some good suggestions for what I should read next, including Herman Melville's Moby Dick and Nathaniel Philbrick's The Mayflower. What are some of your reading suggestions that match your research interests? Send me an email.
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