Chasing Junius The backstory to The Hatch Chronicles: An American Family

Junius H. Hatch (1791 – 1869)

In 1999 I sifted through hundreds of letters left behind by the father, uncles, and grandfather, of an elderly relative.  Those letters took me back to the early 1800s and detailed the exceptional life of a former New York State Assemblyman and land speculator.  As I ordered the letters chronologically, I became acquainted with Junius H. Hatch, Sr., his four sons, and his daughter, Grace, as well as other members of his extended family.

Theirs is a story of the American dream, that promise of success being theirs for the taking if only they dared, although like all worthy pursuits, it was not without its costs.  While I continue to research this remarkable family and write the true narrative of their lives, I find that I must start with Josiah Hatch, a Revolutionary War surgeon’s mate and eventual surgeon.  My information about him tells a story of war-time loyalty and devotion to a friend, and lays a solid foundation for understanding the life of his son, Junius H. Hatch, Sr., the land speculator, and ultimately Josiah's grandson, Junius H. Hatch, Jr., a brave and steady Union soldier in the Civil War.  Their lives personalize the growth of our young democracy from the post-Revolutionary War period through the end of the Civil War.

Please come back for periodic updates about my discoveries and the book’s progress.  I promise you’ll be captivated just as I am.