NEW! Arnold~Arnoldt: Family History from 1627
Nearly 400 years ago, a young man decided to make his home in Nördlingen, a town within the territory of the Holy Roman Empire, modern day Bavaria. It was here that he became a citizen and butcher. However, his son, Johannes Arnoldt, had a different idea of where to call home and made his way south. He settled in Dettwiller, Alsace, another region of the Holy Roman Empire on the cusp of becoming part of the Kingdom of France at the end of the Franco-Dutch War. There, in 1680, he married the daughter of an innkeeper, and one might say ‘the rest is history.’ For hundreds of years his descendants owned and ran The Ox inn and throughout Alsace continued in the trade of innkeeping, which extended into the occupations of butcher, wine merchant, cooper, and farmer. But by the mid-19th century, that history began to change. As business owners, adventurers, emigrants, and risktakers, descendants of Johannes Arnoldt were met with many challenges. The stories within these pages reveal the losses they suffered, the survival of hardships, and how they rose from failures to find success, while one tragic tale tells of a singular rogue Arnold who led an infamous life so nefarious that it led to the murder of his own son. Some tales are shocking, while others reveal how these ancestors paved the way for a better life for descendants who are alive today. If you are one of those descendants, this is your story and your legacy. [English, 8 x 10, hardcover, 282pp.] $150.00
The Rechten Family Story, from 1723 Lilenthal, Germany
In the mid-1700s, Johann Nicolaüs Rechten’s family was well established in Trupe, a municipality of Lilienthal, Germany, located just outside the town of Bremen. As cloth makers they most likely raised their own sheep, created cloth, and tailored clothing, which they sold in Bremen where they had established a business. For over 100 years the business succeeded and expanded, eventually making its way to Manhattan. There it continued until tragedy struck, ending the long line of Rechten clothiers. As a victim of one of the greatest train disasters of the time, young Philipp Rechten’s last hours of life was witnessed and documented in detail by a news journalist. Throughout their history, Rechtens were no stranger to hardships, but the stories uncovered and documented in these pages tell of hard work and determination despite these difficulties. There is the gunsmith turned inventor who earned patents around the globe for a whaling apparatus he designed. From England, to the United States, Greenland, and the Caribbean, his life was lived mostly at sea demonstrating the instrument which incorporated electricity long before it was used for the common light bulb. And as he was impressing those in the whaling trade, another Rechten bravely traveled to America where he courageously fought for the voiceless in the Civil War, dying just months after his arrival, in one of the deadliest battles in Fredericksburg, Virginia, leaving a young family behind to struggle for survival in Manhattan. If Johann Nicolaüs Rechten, born nearly 300 years ago, is your ancestor, these stories reveal the adversities your forebears overcame which eventually led to your existence today. While their lives were a part of Germany’s past and America’s history, as a descendant, this is part of your story and your legacy. [English, 8 x 10, hardcover, 119pp., ISBN 978-0-98-869652-5] $65.00
Sarah Mills House
Peer into the windows of 927 Broadway and experience the evolution of the city from open fields to the development of the grid pattern throughout Manhattan. Home to a printing press, chocolate manufacturer, Lager beer saloon, dressmaking specialties, piano retailer, and oyster bar, 927 Broadway proves to be the perfect representation of what the city is all about. Originally flanked by shanties and subsequently by a theatre, hotels, and thriving companies, No. 927 has witnessed the city's transformation. Read its story through businesses, occupants, and social events such as the political uprising denouncing loyalty to President Lincoln led by a state senator during the Civil War. [10X8, 82 pp.] Out of print. Limited number available. Contact for more information.
The Caraccioli Farm
This story begins when Cipriano Caraccioli, a Corsican ship captain and privateer in Napoleon's navy, immigrates to Manhattan during the early years of America's independence. Determined to achieve the dream of land ownership for himself and his family, Cipriano struggles to build a business in New York and acquire land in New Jersey. Although the farm where Cipriano and his descendants lived and worked no longer exists, the story of their lives and loves can be read in the deeds, maps and historical documents uncovered during months of meticulous research. The Caraccioli Farm is not merely the story of one family's hopes and dreams, but a chronicle of the spirit of the American Dream. [10x8, 88 pp.]
Evermay on-the-Delaware
Classic architecture and an outstanding family in the community make up the foundation of this home. Beginning with the purchase from the London Company proprietors, the prime real estate location across from the Delaware is handed down among the Stovers for over 160 years after purchasing it from the largest landholder in the county. The story not only discusses the changes in ownership, but the architecture, as well as events that made history locally and nationally. Through good times and bad, the Evermay is preserved throughout the years to maintain its footprint in the community and the history of Bucks County. [74 pp.]