For 60 years, I puzzled over a narrow band of ancestors who — unlike the Irish and Jewish forebears I knew a good deal about — seemed to have arrived in America early on and suffered through the nation’s many hard times. Using census and military records, and local histories in Maine, I slowly assembled a picture of these German immigrants of the 1750s and their difficult path through time. The picture that emerged was dramatically different from the one in my mother’s stories about her ancestors, and one that fired my imagination. As a writer of history, I knew the traces they left were too faint to support a full historical treatment, but I could combine the known facts about them with the harsh conditions of coastal Maine to create an immigrant’s tale that would resonate for most Americans — almost all of whom have immigrant stories in their backgrounds that may or may not be true. The course will explain my journey, discuss how history and imagination combine to create historical fiction, and talk about the tools available for others to pursue their own stories.
Feedback from David’s past course with us:
“Our session with David O. Stewart about George Washington was highly successful. Author Stewart managed to take a very big and well-tilled subject and make it fresh and useful for a more comprehensive understanding of George Washington and his times. Good questions from the floor, good focus on slavery issues, leadership development, and three distinct periods of GW’s development.”
“David O Stewart would be an excellent speaker for the Distinguished Visiting Scholar. Both his expertise and ease of presentation are every bit as good as anyone we have had so far!“
“David is a national treasure who illuminated the character and leadership of our Founding President in a way that we are not often exposed to.“
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