<p>This is an account of the visits of John Brown Francis (later a five-term governor of Rhode Island) to the vast Adirondack wilderness known as "John Brown's tract" after the diarist's grandfather, one of the founders of the Brown dynasty in Providence. The elder man had had a grand vision of developing the timber and mineral resources of the tract (210,000 acres, or over 320 square miles), but had been repeatedly thwarted by climatic and environmental obstacles. Even though his personal efforts died with him in 1803, his heirs attempted for decades afterwards to carry out his vision. Descriptions of floods, summer frosts and other difficulties in the diaries demonstrate that even after the removal of the British and Indian threats following the War of 1812, most efforts to transform the Adirondack forests to agricultural and commercial pursuits (such as the iron manufacturing described in the diaries) were doomed to failure. John Brown Francis was in his twenties when he wrote these accounts in 1816, 1817 and 1818. "[F]rom tavern keepers and toll collectors to farmers' daughters and land barons, little of the human condition escapes the eye of the youthful annalist. While most of our insights into the population of the early American frontier stem from the observations of foreign travelers like DeTocqueville, Mrs. Trollope and Dickens [and, 40 years earlier, the numerous Hessian diarists], here, for historians of the early republic, is a whole fresh catalogue by an American reporter." The editor of this work, Henry A. L. Brown, is the grandson of John Brown Francis' adopted granddaughter. This transcription is thoroughly annotated and well illustrated, and includes a genealogy of John Brown Francis and a foreword by Albert Klyberg, director of the Rhode Island Historical Society. The bibliography lists about seventy-five sources and the every-name plus subject index includes about 350 entries.</p>

Salt Pork and Poor Bread and Whiskey: The Adirondack Diaries of John Brown Francis

History

Brown, Henry A.L.

Americas

Heritage Books, Inc.

<p>The burning of the British ship Gaspee was one of the earliest events of the Revolutionary War. It happened on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay at Gaspee Point, so named for the event. Since then, that area of the City of Warwick has been many things to local citizens, from camping on the shores to a full-fledged cottage community. This, then, is Gaspee Point’s history.</p>

Gaspee Point: ...from its Revolutionary beginning through the tented family campgrounds to the present day cottages

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Alan F. Clarke

Block Island explores the evolution of the small, 7-by-3-mile island that lies between Point Judith, Rhode Island, and Montauk Point, New York. In 1637, Block Island, also known as "New Shoreham," was claimed by Massachusetts soldiers who took the land away from the Manisses Indians. When the island was sold to 16 proprietors in 1660, the history of Block Island as part of Rhode Island began. At any time of the year, Block Island has a special look and charm of its own. In addition to its beautiful sandy beaches and thundering surf, the island is plentiful with rolling hills, fertile valleys, and ponds. Within these pages, meet the early residents of the island and learn how this farming and fishing community first developed as a summer resort destination in the late 1800s. Summer scenes from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including views of the steamers that arrived daily carrying thousands of passengers from New York, Connecticut, and other parts of Rhode Island, are also featured in this collection.

Block Island

D'Amato, Donald A.

Arcadia Publishing Library Editions

Founded in 1638, Pawtuxet is one of Rhode Island's oldest and most historic villages. The Pawtuxet River divides this unique settlement almost in half; the northern section belongs to Cranston and the southern to Warwick. The village is a distinct entity, however, and the object of much pride. After making significant contributions to our nation's fight for freedom--the British schooner Gaspee was burned off the shores of this village in the first act of violence in the American Revolution--Pawtuxet became known as a prosperous seaport and, later, as the home of Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, an entertainment mecca that attracted visitors from far and wide. Many a couple met and courted at this exquisite resort, whose charms included ballroom dancing, big band music, canoe rentals, and regional culinary fare. The village of Pawtuxet has retained much of its attractive historical character over the years; by-passed by new roads and superhighways, Pawtuxet's heritage has been preserved.

Pawtuxet, Rhode Island

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Brown, Henry A.L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Brown, Henry A.L.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Brown, Henry A.L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Salt Pork and Poor Bread and Whiskey: The Adirondack Diaries of John Brown Francis

Gaspee Point: ...from its Revolutionary beginning through the tented family campgrounds to the present day cottages

Block Island

Pawtuxet, Rhode Island