Portland Public Library

For Adam's sake, a family saga in colonial New England, Allegra di Bonaventura

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 399-416) and index

contains biographical information

platesillustrationsmaps

index present

non fiction

For Adam's sake

bibliography

783163420

Allegra di Bonaventura

a family saga in colonial New England

Uses the diary of an American colonial in pre-Revolutionary New England to discuss slavery, the family, and everyday life of the time periodIn the tradition of Laurel Thatcher Ulrich s classic, A Midwife s Tale, comes this groundbreaking narrative by one of America s most promising colonial historians. Joshua Hempstead was a well-respected farmer and tradesman in New London, Connecticut. As his remarkable diary kept from 1711 until 1758 reveals, he was also a slave owner who owned Adam Jackson for over thirty years. In this engrossing narrative of family life and the slave experience in the colonial North, Allegra di Bonaventura describes the complexity of this master/slave relationship and traces the intertwining stories of two families until the eve of the Revolution. Slavery is often left out of our collective memory of New England s history, but it was hugely impactful on the central unit of colonial life: the family. In every corner, the lines between slavery and freedom were blurred as families across the social spectrum fought to survive. In this enlightening study, a new portrait of an era emerges." -- Publisher description

"As in the Beginning of the World" -- The Rogerenes -- "Fore-runners of evil" -- "Brought up in learning" -- "Fornication among you" -- "One flesh" -- "She was taken away from me wrongfully" -- "The ways of providence" -- A Higher Court -- "A pestilence into that land" -- "Adam is come" -- Bream Cove and beyond -- "Their children's children" -- "Adam worked all day" -- "The wonderful work of God."