|
RICK KELSHEIMER shares history and storytelling through his first book, ''The Hanging of Betsy Reed,'' and his new book, ''Wa-Ba-Shik-Ki'' for a group attending the Lawrence County Historical Society meeting on Monday. (Photo by Barbara E. Allender)
Author recounts history through storytelling  Share
Rick Kelsheimer, author of ''The Hanging of Betsy Reed'' and ''Wa-Ba-Shik-Ki,'' brought his two books and a wealth of historical information to the Monday night meeting of the Lawrence County Historical Society at the Society Museum in Lawrenceville. While Kelsheimer delved into researching as many historical facts as he could find to support the books, he told the group that the content embellished the time periods rather than presenting an exact historical biography. He describes his style of writing as ''history and a story.'' For his first book, ''The Hanging of Betsy Reed,'' he described the time period and circumstances from a moment in local history that gave the area a distinguished historical 'first' - Reed was the first woman to be hanged. Kelsheimer built his book around the event of the true character whose fate for poisoning her husband took place near Lawrenceville High School. The natural slope of the bank provided an auditorium-style area for the crowd of spectators to view the hanging. In newspaper accounts, she was described as a woman with long, black hair which contrasted against the ''Miller white robe'' she wore, twirling like she was dancing when hanged. Reed is actually buried at the Baker Cemetery east of Heathsville, next to her husband, Leonard, whose tombstone reads ''death by murder.''
The book is being used by the school district in Oblong for historical text book reading. Over the course of a year, the book sold 1,500 copies. Kelsheimer's new book, 'Wa-Ba-Shik-Ki,' is the first of a series on the subject of the co-habitation of Europeans and Indians in the area, precursing two additional books by the author. The series covers the period of 1680-85. The second book will begin in 1730 when the French families enter the area. He describes the book as being ''violent'' or as necessitating a ''PG-rating.'' He said, ''life here was very brutal. Punishment for a crime was to either be forgiven or killed.'' It was also a time when cannibalism was a form of punishment. The clash of the ''opportunist French and traditional Indians'' was a struggle since the Indians had ''no concept of land ownership and believed that the land belonged to everybody,'' Kelsheimer said. There were some French settlers who mixed well with the Indians. They knew that there was a fortune to be made here with the bountiful wildlife and rich soil for planting crops and wanted ''to do right by the Indians.'' Still, Kelsheimer said, ''it was the start of the change of life here.'' While ''Wa-Ba-Shik-Ki'' follows the historial struggles of the period, its actual focus is on the Frenchmen who fall in love with Indian princesses. It is comparable to the story of John Smith and Pocohontas, he said. In a couple of weeks, it will be available for purchase on Amazon.com. Kelsheimer researched the papers left behind by the early explorers, such as Robert LaSalle or Joseph LaMotte, to gain a better perspective as to the locations of specific areas of the regions. However, there are many of those records that are lost. He mentioned his source for learning about a local tragedy referred to as ''the Hudson Family Massacre'' which was an account written in the Boston Herald newspaper. The massacre reportedly occurred where the Embarrass River empties into the Wabash River in 1812. ''There are not alot of places to look for local history,'' he said. However, the Internet proves again and again to be a valuable tool. Barbara E. Allender is editor of the Bridgeport Leader.
|
This Week's Front Page »
Related Stories »
|
