Clear Pond: The Reconstruction of a Life [Hardcover]

Roger Mitchell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the age of 45, poet Mitchell decided to learn more about the place where he'd grown up, New York State's Adirondack region. In his research, he found a name, place and date in a diary: Israel Johnson had built a sawmill at Clear Pond in 1836. Would it be possible to reconstruct this man's life and times? In an intensive five-year search, Mitchell talked to historians and librarians; studied census reports, deed books and war records; traced family members and searched the National Archives. We rejoice when, in 1986, he meets an 87-year-old great-grandson of Israel Johnson in the town of Adirondack. A remarkable piece of historical detective work and an engaging story, Mitchell's account offers valuable information for others pursuing genealogical questions. Photos.

Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 230 pages
• Publisher: Syracuse Univ Pr (Sd); 1st edition (July 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081560257X
• ISBN-13: 978-0815602576
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,602,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Historical Detective Story, January 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Clear Pond: The Reconstruction of a Life (Hardcover)

Roger Mitchell is a poet, not a professional historian. He became intrigued, even obsessed, by a random historical question. This is a book, not only about a place and its people. It is an account of an author's passionate search for an answer. In a quest for an old-time Adirondacker, Mitchell investigated the history of one, rather ordinary, Yankee family in the Adirondacks. His poetic narrative provides a profile in microcosm of authentic Adirondack culture. This book is already a classic of Adirondack literature.

4.0 out of 5 stars Window to the past, July 15, 2000

By 

Sheila Connolly "Sheila, also known as Sarah ... (Middleboro, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clear Pond: The Reconstruction of a Life (Hardcover)

For anyone already bitten by the genealogy bug, this book will chart a familiar path. For anyone who is contemplating undertaking research on their family's history, read this first: it captures perfectly the passion and the curiosity that propels the researcher in what is often a confusing and frustrating quest, with many dead ends. More important, Mitchell manages both to give personality and character to his long-dead subjects, and to make the time and place in which they lived come alive for us. It is "human" history on a personal scale.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Historical Detective Story, January 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Clear Pond: The Reconstruction of a Life (Hardcover)

Roger Mitchell is a poet, not a professional historian. He became intrigued, even obsessed, by a random historical question. This is a book, not only about a place and its people. It is an account of an author's passionate search for an answer. In a quest for an old-time Adirondacker, Mitchell investigated the history of one, rather ordinary, Yankee family in the Adirondacks. His poetic narrative provides a profile in microcosm of authentic Adirondack culture. This book is already a classic of Adirondack literature.