Hanging Katherine Garret: A Novel Based on the 1737 Trial of a Pequot Woman Review

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Hanging Katherine Garret: A Novel Based on the 1737 Trial of a Pequot Woman ReviewKarla Palmer, estranged from her family has tried to forget her own past by immersing herself in history and literature. Quite the professional student Karla takes on yet another masters degree in literature, but turns out being engrossed by the 1737 trial of a Pequot Indian woman for the murder of her newborn infant. Kate Garret, the Anglicized woman's name, is a beloved indentured servant to a Congregational minister and will not name the child's father. Kate is imprisoned for murder, but also for 1737 church politics. Karla struggles in the present day to try and reconstruct Kate's life, her trial and her death on the gallows. An experienced researcher, but novice historian and genealogist Karla makes all the right moves to uncover 1737 events, but runs into all the brick walls the era has to offer. In the end it is not only hard work that solves the mystery, but a researchers time line and a lot of imagination. We all could learn from Karla's dogged search for the truth, by imagining possible scenarios for our ancestors and testing out our hypothesis. Elizabeth Showen Mills refers to this technique in her book Evidence!
Abigail Davis fleshes out both Karla in the present day and Kate in the past as strong women willing to take responsiblity for their own actions. Like many of us Karla has her own modern day demons and Abigail Davis weaves Karla's own personal faith journey into the story. Karla's search is much like our own---life goes on here in the present even as we research the past!
This little 220 page novel packs a lot of twist and turns with several story lines effecting Karl's life. Davis has a selected bibliography at the back of the book and clearly her story reflects a significant amount of research life during the 1700's. To uncover Kate's story Karla spends time at historical societies, grave yards and requests published genealogies. Davis also has her main character reconstruct the lives of the those surrounding Kate Garret. Researching the collateral families and associates of your ancestor will sometimes provide great clues to your own ancestors life. In Karla's case the research paid off. This type of research is refered to as cluster genealogy and books by Emily Ann Croom and Sharon DeBartolo Carmack discuss the technique thoroughly.
Davis gives descriptions of life during the 1700's that will teach all her reader a little something about early life in the America's, indentured servitude, and Indian interaction with colonists. If there is any flaw in the book Davis sometimes goes overboard with description. In her desire to give the reader a full historical picture Davis' description of Indian ways lost me. Sometimes at key moments in the plot. I however, did not let that detract me from learning the truth (or the fictionalized version) of Kate Garret's life. I read on and enjoyed the story line both in the past and present. Davis did educate me and entertain me and those are the best kind of stories. Hanging Katherine Garret is a worthwhile read, a good genealogy mystery/novel with some unusual plot lines. Add it to YOUR list.
Christine McCreedy, Creator and Webmaster of Christine's Book List featuring genealogy fiction.Hanging Katherine Garret: A Novel Based on the 1737 Trial of a Pequot Woman Overview

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