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by Jennifer Wixson (Author)
"Into the Maine" explores the English colonization of Maine through the lives of six generations of the Crockett family, beginning with Thomas Crockett of Devon, England, who arrived at Pascataqua in 1630, and ending with Revolutionary War veteran Ephraim Crockett of Pejepscot (Danville). Although Thomas Crockett and his descendants were not movers and shakers in the great drama that transpired on the world stage over ownership of New England, the family's history embodies the role of the common man and woman (primarily Englishmen) in the struggle over Maine or Wabanaki (Dawnland).
For two hundred years the Crockett family survived the harsh Maine climate; accidents, disease, and loss of wives to childbearing; hostile Native Americans and their French allies, two wars with Great Britain; and ultimately the founding of a new nation. Thanks to their initiative, wits, personal relationships, and the temporary collapsing of class from Old World to New, the Crocketts were initially successful at securing freehold real estate. But with the rise of the Great Proprietors after the American Revolution, their luck ran out. "Into the Maine" is the singular story of one Maine family's quest for land.
The book includes extensive Crockett genealogy, as well as information about other early settlers of Maine. The seven chapters cover 17th century English exploration and settlement; interactions with Native Americans and Wabanaki tribes and settlements; French and Indian warfare; squabbles with Massachusetts Bay Colony over control and ownership of Maine; the rise of the Great Proprietors; the American Revolution; the war of 1812; the creation of Maine as the twenty-third state; and much more. "Into the Maine" is meticulously researched by Maine author and historian Jennifer Wixson and contains extended footnotes and documentation. NOTE: The print edition also contains an extensive index, especially valuable for those doing genealogical research. The index is not included with the electronic edition of the book.
