What: Meet John Moore, author of the Frontier Pennsylvania series
Where: State Library of Pennsylvania Law Library, Forum Building, 607 South Drive, Harrisburg, PA
When: December 9th at 12:00
Hear the story of Richard and Catharine Bard, who were captured during an Indian raid on settlements west of present-day Gettysburg in 1758. She helped him escape, and he then spent two years in a successful effort to rescue her.
Richard was one of those rare frontiersmen who could read and write. As he searched for Catharine, he wrote a long poem about her. The poem survives.
Their son, who was born after she was ransomed, wrote a lengthy narrative about his parents’ adventures, which Loudon included in his “Narratives.”
Because it involves both an 18th century poem and an early 19th century book, the Bard story is a natural for the State Library of Pennsylvania!
About the Author:
Moore’s books reflect a half century of research and travel to historic sites throughout Pennsylvania. They deal with the 18th century conflicts between the Indians and the colonists. The French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War are frequent topics.
The retired newspaper editor, whose “History Ahoy” column appears in The Daily Item every other week, launched his series in 1999 with the release of “Traders, Travelers & Tomahawks.”
The veteran newspaperman said he employs a journalist’s eye for detail and ear for quotes in order to write about long-dead people in a lively way. He said his books are based on 18th and 19th century letters, journals, memoirs and transcripts of official proceedings such as interrogations, depositions and treaties. The author is also a professional storyteller who specializes in presenting dramatic episodes from Pennsylvania’s colonial history. Dressed in 18th century clothing, he does storytelling in the persona of “Susquehanna Jack,” a frontier ruffian.
Frontier Pennsylvania series is available for purchase at local bookstores and also through Sunbury Press. The State Library has books to borrow, but not to sell. Mr. Moore will be happy to sign a copy of your book at this event.