Criminals of Early America: Samuel Mason

The mighty Ohio River (looking across to Kentucky from Illinois)

History is full of men (and women) who have wanted to live without law. One could argue that part of the reason explorers like Daniel Boone took to the wilderness was to escape the strictures of civilized life, but there’s a huge difference between those who in their own heart hold moral law in high enough regard but feel the need for “elbow room,” and those who have no regard for morality at all.

And then there are the interesting subjects who fall somewhere in the middle.

Such was the case of Samuel Mason, former captain of the American Revolution, who became a river pirate.

Until the opening of the Wilderness Road to wagon traffic in 1795-96, travel down the Ohio River was regarded as the easiest method of travel into western lands during the Federal era—if the most dangerous because of the threat of attack by natives. But the danger was by no means limited to by that from the Shawnee, because as soon as the native tribes migrated west, others found travelers a too-easy target as settlers poured into the frontier by both land and waterway.

Cave-in-Rock State Park, Illinois

No one really knows enough of Mason’s background to say why he chose a life of crime, but it’s said that he came of a solid, well-connected family in Virginia, served on the western frontier before and during the Revolution (in what would become Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, among other things on a campaign led by George Rogers Clark), and became associated with others who preferred theft to honest work. He’s most known for heading up a gang based out of Cave-in-Rock, a large natural hollow in the limestone rock overlooking the Ohio River from the Illinois side, about halfway between what is now Henderson and Paducah, Kentucky.

Mason was later credited with being shrewd but not bloodthirsty, bragging that he never took a life “unless necessary” (self defense and avenging family members seemed to be included in that). This was in contrast to the notorious Harpes, a pair of men who although called brothers were likely cousins, and who wreaked mayhem all up the Wilderness Road and across Kentucky and Tennessee. (The saga of their murder spree in 1798-99 provides the background for my upcoming release, The Blue Cloak, #5 of Barbour Publishing’s True Colors series.)

Keelboats and flatboats, both popular with settlers

The Harpes are another study entirely, and I’ll share more about them later, but for now suffice it to say that they were so twisted and cruel, not even river pirates wanted them around.

It was around this time—again, no one is really sure—that Mason abandoned Cave-in-Rock and drifted over to the Natchez Trace, a road which connected Nashville, Tennessee, with towns farther south in Mississippi Territory and eventually reached New Orleans. His fate is later tied up with the Harpes in a most bizarre manner, but the man had a wife who apparently did not approve of his activities, and sons who joined him at least occasionally.

Robbery and murder were not the only criminal acts taking place on the frontier. Counterfeiting became big business as well, and a sort of mafia-like “protective” service offered by some.

And how did folk on the frontier deal with such things? Well, more on that later. :-)

September Tea Party - Susan Craft, Roseanna White, Joan Hochstetler, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Gina Welborn

   

Cassia by Susan Craft        

         The Xanthakos family’s sea voyage from South Carolina to the North Carolina Outer Banks turns ugly after they pressure their ship’s captain to rescue a pregnant woman thrown overboard from a slave ship. When the slave contracts smallpox, the captain maroons her, Lilyan and Nicholas and their children, Laurel, Paul, and Marion, on an island.

        After Nicholas and Marion leave to seek help, Lilyan and her children and the baby, whom they have named Cassia, are captured by pirates and taken to their island hideout under the command of the vile Captain Galeo (The Shark), but Paul escapes along the way.

        Galeo is attracted to Lilyan and orders her and Laurel to dine with him where reveals his plan to make Lilyan his own and auction Laurel to the highest bidder and where he forces them to witness a mock trial and a hanging. Heartsick to see her child exposed to such evil, Lilyan rekindles her long-dormant courage and forges an escape plan. Meanwhile, Nicholas faces his self-perceived failure to protect his family. He must abandon the life of a vintner and once again call upon the skills he honed as a captain in Francis Marion’s militia. Together they face the hardest challenge to a parent, watching as life tests the mettle of their highly sheltered and beloved children. Bolstered by their faith, they realize their strength isn’t enough to see them through and that God is in control.

        Will the Xanthakos children withstand their trials and learn to be as tough as their parents? Will the family be united and return to their peaceful Blue Ridge Mountain home?  

     Cassia is the third novel in my historical romantic suspense series, The Xanthakos Family Trilogy. The first is The Chamomile and the second is Laurel.

Cassia in Hebrew means to bow down the head. An aromatic bark, it was known as the poor man’s cinnamon because it had a similar fragrance to cinnamon, but was not as costly. It was an ingredient of holy anointing oil used to anoint priests, kings and their garments, and will be the aroma of Christ’s robes when he returns to us (see Psalm 45:8 and Exodus 30:24). The ingredient of cassia reminds us of the suffering servant who in his body was the sacrifice for the world. The brokenness of his body was the sweet fragrance to the Father that he had won the human race back to himself (Ephesians 4:8).

     I will be giving away a copy of Cassia and I'll be giving away a second prize of a cinnamon candle and a box of Cassia notecards. 

Amazon link to Cassia (pre-order):  http://www.amazon.com/dp/1941103731/

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The Lost Heiress

by Roseanna M. White

Brook Eden has never known where she truly belongs. Though raised in the palace of Monaco, she's British by birth and was brought to the Grimaldis under suspicious circumstances as a babe. When Brook's friend Justin uncovers the fact that Brook is likely a missing heiress from Yorkshire, Brook leaves the sun of the Mediterranean to travel to the moors of the North Sea to the estate of her supposed family.

The mystery of her mother's death haunts her, and though her father is quick to accept her, the rest of the family and the servants of Whitby Park are not. Only when Brook's life is threatened do they draw close--but their loyalty may come too late to save Brook from the same threat that led to tragedy for her mother.

As heir to a dukedom, Justin is no stranger to balancing responsibilities. When the matters of his estate force him far from Brook, the distance between them reveals that what began as friendship has grown into something much more. But how can their very different loyalties and responsibilities ever come together?

And then, for a second time, the heiress of Whitby Park is stolen away because of
the very rare treasure in her possession--and this time only the servants of Whitby can save her.

Giveaways!

One signed copy of The Lost Heiress will be given to a Colonial Quills commenter ~

PLUS, you can enter Roseanna's big giveaway... 

Roseanna's huge giveaway of BROOK'S TREASURES is going on right now on her website, featuring coffee, chocolate, Brook's heirloom necklace, a leather journal, CD, a copy of Chivalrous by Dina L. Sleiman, and a signed copy of The Lost Heiress!

Enter on her website | Enter on Rafflecopter

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Valley of the Shadow
Book 5, American Patriot Series 

by J. M. Hochstetler

Can he save them both from the Valley of the Shadow?

Following a humiliating defeat at Philadelphia and a rival’s stunning victory at Saratoga, Washington’s army faces yet another bitter winter, this time at Valley Forge. Meanwhile, General Jonathan Carleton races to save Elizabeth Howard from the horrors of the prison ships in the British stronghold at New York, while British General William Howe plots to execute them both. 

From heart-pounding battles on the high seas, to the rigors of Valley Forge and the Shawnee’s savagely fought wars to preserve their ancestral lands, Valley of the Shadow continues the thrilling saga of America’s founding in an inspiring story of despair, courage, and triumph. 

The American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive, accurate, faith-based historical fiction series on the American Revolution.

~Two Giveaways~

A copy of Valley of the Shadow or any one of the previous books of the series—Daughter of Liberty, Native Son, Wind of the Spirit, or Crucible of War—in either print or ebook edition.

A Blue Willow 16 oz. teapot with a ceramic brewing infuser, along with a tin of Gunpowder Green Tea.The teapot’s classic Chinese Blue Willow pattern illustrates the Chinese legend of Kwang-se and her lover Chang. Pursued by her father as they sought to elope, the young couple were transformed into turtle doves and flew away to hide from the world. The traditional China gunpowder green tea, popular since colonial times, is commonly known as Pearl Tea because of its round, tightly rolled, grayish-green leaves that unfold when brewed to give a sweet fragrance and delightful taste.

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Lilacs for Juliana now available in paperback by Carrie Fancett Pagels

During the colonial times, Michigan's straits of Mackinac area was occupied by the French. Step forward to 1891, when a French descendant, Juliana Beauchamps, is about to meet eye-to-chest with the imaginary folk hero Paul Bon Jean (later immortalized as Paul Bunyan in print) when 6'6" Richard "Moose" Christy shows up in her library story circle! But as their affection grows, will a Milwaukee beer baron, or her love of lilacs, come between them?

Book 3 in The Christy Lumber Camp Series is a story about the youngest Christy sibling, Richard, as he assumes responsibility as the boss of a new lumber camp in Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula.

Giveaways: Carrie is giving away two paperback copies of Lilacs for Juliana and an E-book copy of Christmas Traditions a #1 Best Seller on Amazon for Anthologies and Short Stories! Also a complete Kindle Ebook set of The Christy Lumber Camp Series for one reader who hasn't read any of the stories yet. Extra giveaway credits for those who sign up for Carrie's newsletter (which will also get you a free short story from her!) Email her at CFPagels(at)gmail(dot)com and put newsletter in the subject line.

Christmas Traditions Eight-in-One Collection (August, 2015) released with novellas by Gina Wellborn and Carrie Fancett Pagels (as well as authors Angela Breidenbach, Jennifer AlLee, Patty Smith Hall, Darlene Franklin, Cynthia Hickey, and Niki Turner who are not CACW members.) This ongoing #1 Amazon Anthology Bestseller (PTL!!!) is also available in paperback. Carrie's Selah Award Finalist and Family Fiction Book of the Year Finalist The Fruitcake Challenge is one of the novellas in this collection. Gina's wonderful novella, Holly Daze, is also included.

Giveaway: Gina is giving away TEN (YES, TEN) ebook copies of Christmas Traditions and we are also giving away a paperback of the entire collection. 

Pirates! in...New York?

by Roseanna M. White

Captain Kidd in New York Harborpainting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1920

Who isn't a fan of a good pirate tale? But when we think of Colonial-era pirates, we usually imagine warm Caribbean waters and palm trees, white sand beaches with those ships looming in the harbor. We don't usually think of America's northeast--but we should. In the late 1600s, one of the most bustling pirate dens wasn't Port Royal or Tortuga. It was the City of New York.

Founded by the Dutch as New Amsterdam, New York was already different from most of the other colonies. This city was founded on business principles, pure and simple. Though it was, for the time, a bastion of tolerance, it was not for any noble reason that the authorities of the city and state allowed an influx of diversity--it was because they knew it was good for business. The same reason they issued letters of marque to privateers and welcomed their stolen goods into the port, whether they came from ships that were enemies of England of not.

You'd be hard pressed to find any other place in the world that ended up with such a diverse, rich market. There were exotic items seized from "enemy" vessels that traded with the Orient. There were colorful cloths and spices and scads of other goods eagerly welcomed and paid for by New York's business-minded elite.

An elite that also welcomed the pirates themselves into their drawings rooms.

Many pirates were welcomed as citizens and considered high society in New York, including the legendary Captain Kidd. Men like Kidd were looked upon as being of obviously sound worth, since they risked their lives and their own ships to hunt down enemy vessels. The New York government even paid him 150 pounds for his services!

But of course, this couldn't last forever. Eventually King William heard disturbing rumors from his allies in the Orient that pirates were attacking their ships and then finding refuge in New York...further, he learned that the governor had encouraged this and excepted bribes--"protection money"--from the pirates in return for turning a blind eye when a haul wasn't exactly covered by the letters of marque.

The king's answer was simple--he replaced the old governor with a new one whose primary focus was to rid New York of pirates. The new governor, Bellomont, put together a company of ships to send pirate hunting in the Indian Ocean...led by none other than Captain Kidd. He was expected to keep meticulous records of this service he was providing, and in return would get to keep 10% of whatever he seized.

But this was a pirate, after all. His records were...spotty, at best. Likely in part because he didn't just seize other pirate vessels. He took every ship he could find, spawning even more stories of innocents being plundered. Then made a move both bold an foolhardy--he returned to New York harbor. He thought he could bluff his way out of trouble by claiming all his "prizes" were under French protection and therefore enemy ships.

He was wrong. Bellomont sent him to London to be tried--and eventually hanged, his property seized by the Crown.

Unless, of course, King William missed some. Legends hold that Kidd had squirreled some of his treasure away, unbeknownst to the king...and that it's still hidden somewhere in New York.

Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship

Book Review by Lisa Norato

PIRATE HUNTERS
Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship
by Robert Kurson 
Random House © June 2015

Recently, I had the opportunity to read this remarkable true account of a pirate who, as incredible as his story was, I had never heard of before and the search to find his sunken ship, the Golden Fleece.  I wanted to share it here because I feel it is a must-read for both fans and writers of historical seafaring and/or pirate adventure.

In 1686, Joseph Bannister, a wealthy, successful and respected merchant sea captain turned pirate for no apparent reason and led the Royal Navy on a chase that is the stuff of novels, except it was all true. Three hundred years later, John Chatterton and John Mattera, both experienced divers and treasure hunters, set out to find the illusive wreck and unlock the mystery of the pirate Bannister. This book is the story of all three mens’ adventures. And what adventures they are!

If, like me, you’re lured by the mystique of the sea in your reading or have an interest in pirates, wooden sailing ships, treasure or history, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. Within its pages, learn about about what life was like for seafarers and why men turned to piracy. Experience the times and dangers of the age of piracy. Or if you’re simply looking for an exciting read−fascinating but true−you will enjoy this book. I could not stop turning pages, hungry for any details about John Bannister and would still be thinking about the story after I put the book down, anxious to get back to it. This book is the closest one can come to diving beneath the sea in a search for treasure without getting out of your chair.

This is a truly awesome read that satisfied my desire for suspense, adventure, romance and mystery, and at its conclusion it impressed me as an inspiring story about never, never giving up.

 

Lisa Norato is the author of the seafaring inspirational suspense novels Prize of My Heart and The Promise Keeper.

Pirates and Their Weapons

Susan F. Craft
Author, The Xanthakos Family Trilogy

        I'm sharing some of the history about pirate weapons I found while researching for my novel, Cassia, which takes place in the NC Outer Banks and along the Atlantic Coast in 1799.
        Contrary to what we have seen in movies, for real fighting pirate captains big floppy boots, belts with huge buckles, and long swords would have been nuisances. Instead of long swords, they used curved cutlasses that wouldn’t interfere with their mobility in climbing tangled ropes and boarding other ships.

        They wanted to be able to shoot often, so they carried multiple smaller pistols. The infamous pirate, Blackbeard, was known to carry as many as eight pistols attached to his clothing with fabric hooks.

Two images of Blackbeard



   Long distance weapons, though rare, included six-foot spears called boarding spikes. Boarding axes were used to cut netting strung to make it harder to board. These axes were also used to break down doors once the pirates were aboard.

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        Here’s another weapon that’s yucky, but interesting—caltrop.

        In the 1700s, pirates would sometimes toss caltrops onto the decks of the ships they wanted to capture. These diabolical little antipersonnel weapons remind me of current-day jacks from the game Ball and Jacks (well, sort of). About an inch tall, they were fashioned out of iron or steel with four barbed-wire like points, constructed in such a way that, no matter how they landed, one point was always sticking up.

        The reason behind this weapon? Eighteenth century sailors went barefoot, mostly for comfort, but also because it made it easier to climb up into the sail rigging. So, if you stepped on a caltrop, it was mighty painful and would delay you from fighting back as pirates boarded your ship.
        Barbaric -- you think?

Susan F. Craft is the author of The Xanthakos Family Trilogy, historic romantic suspense: The Chamomile (Revolutionary War and winner of the SIBA Okra Pick, re-released in April 2015); Laurel (post-Revolutionary War, released in January 2015); and Cassia (1799-1836) to be released September 2015--publisher is Heritage Beacon imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. 

Women Pirates Anne Bonney and Mary Read

By Susan F. Craft

(In honor of my novel, Cassia, which will be released by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, Heritage Beacon, this coming September, I plan to write my blogs for the rest of the year about PIRATES. Argh!!!)

       

 

        Anne Bonney, born in the late 1660s in County Cork, Ireland, was the illegitimate daughter of William Cormac, a lawyer, and his housemaid. The family immigrated to a plantation in Charleston, SC, where she grew up and eventually eloped with James Bonney, who took her to a pirates’ lair in the Bahamas.
        She left Bonney in 1718 to become the mistress of Captain John “Calico Jack” Rackham. She claimed that Bonney had turned informant in order to receive the king’s pardon offered by Bahamian Governor Woodes Rogers. She sailed with the captain on his sloop Vanity and, dressed as a man, soon became an infamous pirate. She had a child by Rackman and retired from piracy long enough to deliver the baby. She left her infant son with friends in Cuba and returned to piracy.
        Mary Read, born about 1690 in Plymouth, England, was the illegitimate daughter of a woman whose seaman husband left on a long voyage and was never heard from again. When their money ran out, Mary’s mother took her to London to ask her mother-in-law for help.
        The woman didn’t like girls, so Mary’s mother dressed Mary as a boy and made her pretend to be her son. Mary masqueraded as a boy for many years, even after the woman died. After working as a footboy to a French woman, she enlisted as a male in a foot regiment in Flanders and later in a horse regiment, serving with distinction.
        Giving up her double life, she fell in love with and married a fellow soldier, and they became innkeepers of the Three Horseshoes in Holland. Her husband died young, and when Mary’s finances dwindled, she reverted back to men’s clothing and went to sea on a Dutch merchant ship. English pirates commandeered the ship that eventually was overtaken by Captain Rackman.
        Anne and Mary discovered each other’s cross-dressing secret and became close friends. Mary fought in a duel to protect her fiancé, killing her opponent. They became known as ruthless and bloodthirsty “fierce hell cats,” with violent tempers.
        In late October 1720, Rackman's ship was attached by a British Navy sloop. The drunken male pirates quickly hid below deck, leaving Anne and Mary to defend their ship, but they were soon overwhelmed, and the entire crew was captured and taken to Jamaica for trial.

        Captain Jack and the male members of his crew were tried on November 16, 1720, and sentenced to hang. Anne and Mary were tried one week after Rackham’s death and were also found guilty. But at their sentencing, when asked by the judge if they had anything to say, they replied, “Mi’lord, we plead our bellies.” Both were pregnant.
        British law forbade killing an unborn child, so their sentences were temporarily stayed.
        Some say Mary died of a fever in prison before the birth of her child. Other reports say she escaped.
        There is no record of Anne’s execution. Some reports say her wealthy father bought her release after the birth of her child, and she settled down to a quiet family life on a small Caribbean island. Others believe she lived out her life in the south of England as a tavern owner and entertained the locals with tales of her exploits.



Susan F. Craft is the author of a SIBA award-winning Revolutionary War suspense, The Chamomile, and its sequel Laurel. The third novel in this trilogy, Cassia, will be released this September. 

Fanny Campbell - Revolutionary War Pirate or Privateer!

When I came across the story of Fanny Campbell, I thought to myself, now this is the stuff of great romantic fiction!  Trouble is, the story is not fiction, it's true,! And I guarantee you'll find it as fascinating and romantic as I did.

Fanny Campbell was a young woman who lived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1776.  She was just an ordinary colonial woman like any of us would have been. But she had a huge problem. Her childhood sweetheart and betrothed, William Lovell, was rotting in a jail in Cuba on charges of piracy.  His merchant ship had been captured by pirates and the crew forced into piracy against their will. Fanny couldn't stand the thought of never seeing her one true love again and especially the thought of him dying alone in a Spanish prison.

So what does she do? She dresses like a man and signed on to serve as second officer on a British Merchant Brig, the Constance!  (Yea.. just what I would have done) However, she had no idea how to get the captain to go rescue William from Cuba. But it would seem God was on her side because both the Captain and the first mate had secret intentions to sail the Constance to England and impress the entire crew into the Royal Navy!  When Fanny got word of this, she encouraged the captain to do just that while alternatively, she informed the crew of his plans and incited a mutiny!   

Fanny became the new commander of the Constance and headed for Cuba. Along the way they encountered a British bark, the George, the captain of which sensed something was not quite right on the Constance and open fired. Though the Constance was undergunned, they (under the leadership of Fanny) won the battle and took the George as prize. Now, they were officially pirates!

Fanny immediately sailed for Cuba, and with the help of her crew, rescued her betrothed and several other Americans!  Finally the happy couple was united, but they kept Fanny's gender a secret from the crew. (Can you imagine the look on William's face when he first saw his fiancee, dressed like a man, leading a charge of men to rescue him from prison?)

On the way home, the Constance and George, still under the command of "Captain Channing"  took another prize, a British merchant ship that had news that war had broken out between the colonies and Britain. Declaring both her ships privateers and no longer pirates, Fanny sailed back to Massachusettes where she obtained the proper papers commissioning the two ships as privateers.

Fanny and William went home to Lynn and were soon married. While William went off to privateer during the war, Fanny remained home and eventually became the mother of several children.
And they lived happily ever after!!!!

See what I mean? Wouldn't this make a GREAT book?  I just love that it's a true story!

Leave a comment to win a FREE ebook of my novel, The Red Siren, a tale about another colonial woman pirate!

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The Port Royal Earthquake of 1692!

In 1692 an earthquake struck the city of Port Royal Jamaica, a city that had been deemed the

Wickedest City in the World. Port Royal was a British outpost, a thriving shipping and merchant community. If you have seen the first pirate movie, you may remember Port Royal was the city Captain Jack Sparrow first sailed (or rather sunk) his ship into. With a population close to 6500, the city was larger than New York City at the time. Cramped, unhealthy, and wanton, the port town was settled for reasons purely of lust and greed and was filled with pirates, privateers, sailors, and other greedy sorts. There were a few honorable souls among the inhabitants, but they were in the minority. Two such honorable men were the Reverend Dr. Emmanuel Heath of Christchurch and Sir Hans Sloane.

On the morning of June 7th, Dr. Sloane and his son set out for the mainland by canoe to visit patients in Spanish Town. Dr. Heath attended his church as he did every morning trying to set an example for "a most ungodly, debauched people". Dr. Heath was on his way for lunch at the home of Captain Ruden, but he stopped at an Inn to have a glass of wormwood wine with a merchant friend

At approximately 11:40 am he felt the ground “rowling and moving” under his feet. His friend told him it was only an earthquake and would be over soon, but when Dr. Heath ran into the street, he felt two more larger jolts, and by the time he arrived at Captain Ruden's house, it had

vanished into the sea. Dr, Heath’s church fared no better. It rapidly descended into the sea, its tower collapsing in the process.

An eyewitness describes:

The sand in the street rose like the waves of the sea, lifting up all persons that stood upon it, and immediately dropping down into its; and at the same instant a flood of water rushed in, throwing down all who were in its way; some were seen catching hold of beams and rafters of houses, others were found in the sand that appeared when the water was drained away, with their legs and arms out.

Dr. Heath attempted to make his escape by running towards Morgan’s Fort, but he saw the sea “mounting in’.  Those who had survived the initial earthquake now faced a tidal wave from the south. Not good news for those still trapped in the wreckage of buildings. Dr. Heath headed for his house, which he found still standing, as most were in the eastern section of the city due to being built on an underlying corraline mass.

Meanwhile out in the harbor Dr. Sloane and his sons reported:

We were near being overwhelmed by a swift rolling sea, six feet above the surface, without any wind, but it pleased God to save us, being forced back to Linguanea, where I found all houses even with the ground, not a place to put one's head in, but in Negro houses. The terrible earthquake shook down and drowned nine-tenths of the town of Port Royal in two minutes time, and by the wharfside in less than one. Very few escaped there. I lost all my people and goods, my wife and two men, Mrs. B and her daughter. One white maid escaped who gave me an account that her mistress was in her closet, two pair of stairs high, and she was sent into the garret, where Mrs. B and her daughter were, when she felt the earth quake and bid her take up her child and run down, but, turning about, met the water at the top of the garret stairs, for the house sunk right down and is now under thirty feet of water

Two-thirds of the town, sank into the sea immediately after the main shock. According to Robert All the wharves sunk at once, and in the space of two minutes, nine-tenths of the city were covered with water, which was raised to such a height, that it entered the uppermost rooms of the few houses which were left standing. The tops of the highest houses, were visible in the water, and surrounded by the masts of vessels, which had been sunk along with them."

Renny in his 'An History of Jamaica' (1807): "

 It is believed that nearly 2000 people lost their lives in the actual quake and several thousand more in the disease and looting and starvation afterward.  Among the persons of note who perished were: Attorney-General Simon Musgrave, Provost-Marshal Reeves, Colonel Reade, Captain Ruden and Naval Officer Reginald Wilson. There were many narrow escapes and miraculous deliverances. One such miracle happened to Lewis Galdy who was first swallowed up and sucked out to sea by the first seismic wave then miraculously returned to land by the second.  A young Mrs. Akers was swallowed up in a gap in the land then ejected into the sea and within three  minutes was rescued by a ship.

The earthquake sank the narrow sandbar that connected Port Royal to the mainland and made it an island again. In the aftermath several hundred people found safety on the HMS Swam a royal navy ship that and been washed ashore. Dr. Heath  survived and was instrumental in helping rescue survivors and get them proper care.

Though many tried to rebuild Port Royal, it never returned to its former glory and most of the merchant business transferred to Kingston. History lovers and treasure hunters diving at Port Royal over the years have found many fascinating artifacts. One item of interest was a watch that had stopped at seventeen minutes before twelve: the time of the third and greatest shock.

My new release, The Ransom, takes place in Port Royal in 1692. It is a story of mystery, intrigue, honor, adventure, romance, with a few pirates added in for good measure.  Though it doesn't center around the earthquake, the plot drives the characters through a series of twists and turns up to that earth-shattering moment.

With over 80 5-star reviews, you might want to check it out!!   Click on the book for more information!