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One Family's Journey from Swiss/Germany to America in 1803 - 1805

Historical fiction from award-winning journalist Jeff W. Ishee
Free shipping on orders of 3 or more books - Details below
Historical fiction from award-winning journalist Jeff W. Ishee
I have been reading this book for the past week & it is WONDERFUL!!! Thank you, Mr. Ishee for writing this. Both my husband & myself have ancestors that came from Switzerland & Germany, & also followed the Great Wagon Road from Philadelphia to NC & SC. It is a fascinating book!
I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the challenges facing our ancestors and others as they settled in this country. While most of us have a rather general knowledge of the sacrifices the pioneers made, Jeff has made them very personal and inspiring. Although the story is partly fiction, it is based on reality. I was thoroughly engrossed in the story from the beginning.
Fascinating family history. The author takes a few snippets of known information about his ancestors and weaves a fictional story about their travel to America and their first few years. Nice job!
A fascinating read! Until now I haven’t known much about where my ancestors came from or how they got here.
A friend gave me a signed copy of this book. Once I started it, I could not put it down. The author vividly described the hardships of those who immigrated to the United States back when it was perilous to do so. I was particularly drawn to this story since I also have Swiss ancestry, and I live along the former Great Wagon Road in the Shenandoah Valley. I learned things I never knew about the area and it was fascinating traveling back in time to the early 1800s.
I was seeking a book to help me understand what it was like for my family to cross the ocean during the 19th-century. "Two Sacks" made me feel as if I was on the ship. But I never gave much thought as to what it was like when my family set their feet on American soil. After reading this book I am now reflecting about their struggles in a new world. The author's family helped me to understand my family.
In 1803, the Ische family made a difficult decision. Members of three generations left their homeland in Canton Bern in Swiss/Germany and emigrated to America. It was a life-altering decision. They carried everything they owned in two sacks.
Follow this family of nine, ranging in age from 2 to 69, as they travel down the Rhine River aboard a Dutch cutter; depart Amsterdam as ‘Redemptioners’ aboard the brig Commerce; trek on foot down the Great Wagon Road from Philadelphia through Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to the Carolinas and Georgia; to finally cross the remote Indian trails of the Alabama Territory and reach their destination in the wilderness of the Mississippi Territory. Along this epic journey, they would welcome new friendships, test their endurance, and suffer enormous tragedy.
The reader will be transported in time to a period of history when dauntless men and women from the Old Country sought a new life in America, willing to pay the price of whatever it took to establish their families in a new world.
Jeff W. Ishee is an award-winning journalist. He is passionate about gardening, genealogy, American history, and growing heirloom peanuts. He is a direct descendant of Hans Jacob Ische (Ishee), one of the primary characters in this book. Jeff is married to Carole Marshall Ishee and lives near the Great Wagon Road in Augusta County, Virginia.
Available since December of 2023
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