Sign-In
Cart
Searching for Charles: The Untold Legacy of an Immigrant's American Adventure
Hardcover
Series: Voices of American Legacy
General World HistoryBritish History
ISBN13: 9781544531946
Publisher: Houndstooth Press
Published: Sep 30 2022
Pages: 604
Weight: 2.28
Height: 1.50 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
An inherited family tree project. A trail of old letters. A decades-long obsession.
What began as a standard genealogy project passed down from father to son transformed into an exhaustive hunt through microfilm, property deeds, and remote cemeteries. It all led to one pivotal moment: the sound of a metal rod striking buried granite. But the biggest surprise was yet to come.
Charles Watts was one of millions of working-class English emigrants who risked everything for a chance at a better life. Watts left London for four years of adventure across America and Canada before carving out a legacy as an Illinois prairie pioneer.
Searching for Charles unfolds in three compelling acts: Watts's vivid letters home, the sweeping history of those he left behind, and the intensive five-decade genealogical search to uncover his ultimate fate.
Watts's correspondence captures the explosive growth of a rapidly expanding nation. His letters detail a burgeoning family feud, the raw realities of pioneer farming, his sharp opinions on European revolutions and other definitive events of his day, and much more. As the only complete, published collection of these transcribed letters-most of which are archived at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum-the book provides a rare window into early nineteenth-century America.
Searching for Charles is a love letter to ancestry, immigration, and the American pioneer experience. It speaks directly to anyone holding a box of unorganized family papers, anyone consumed by unfinished genealogy research, and anyone who believes ordinary lives deserve to be remembered.
Inside, you will discover:
- The Power of Letters: Personal correspondence that bridges centuries to offer an intimate, first-person look at Victorian-era global migration
- The Anatomy of a Genealogist's Hunt: The methods, breakthroughs, and gripping moments of an epic 55-year ancestral investigation
- Unfiltered History: The Midwestern homesteading pioneer experience, told in one man's own words
- A Race Against Time: What it truly takes to rescue and preserve your family legacy before the last traces vanish
If the unfinished stories in your family history have ever pulled at you, this multiple-award-winning book will inspire you to take another look. Order your copy today.
- Royal Dragonfly Book Awards 1st Place in 1) History Nonfiction, 2) Letters, Journals, Diaries; and Honorable Mentions in 1) Biography/Autobiography/Memoir, 2) New Author: Nonfiction (2023)
- Firebird Book Awards 1st Place in 1) Biography/Historical, 2) History/US, 3) New Nonfiction (2023)
- Book Readers Appreciation Group (B.R.A.G.) Medallion Honoree (2024)
- Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY Book Awards 2nd Place in History (2023)
- Florida Authors and Publishers Association President's Book Awards 3rd Place in Autobiography/Biography/Memoir (2023)
- And more!
1 different editions
Also available
Searching for Charles: The Untold Legacy of an Immigrant's American Adventure
Watts, Stephen
Paperback
Also from
Watts, Stephen
Searching for Charles: The Untold Legacy of an Immigrant's American Adventure
Watts, Stephen
Paperback
Also in
British History
The Secret Life of the Savoy: Glamour and Intrigue at the World's Most Famous Hotel
Williams, Olivia
Paperback
The Rise of Thomas Cromwell: Power and Politics in the Reign of Henry VIII, 1485-1534
Everett, Michael
Paperback
The Secret Way to War: The Downing Street Memo and the Iraq War's Buried History
Danner, Rk
Danner, Mark
Paperback
How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women
Venditozzi, Zoe
Mitchell, Claire
Paperback
The Traveler: One Man's Quest for Humanity from the South Seas to Revolutionary Paris
Wulf, Andrea
Hardcover
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Larson, Erik
Paperback
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777
Atkinson, Rick
Paperback
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
Atkinson, Rick
Hardcover
The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery
Kara, Siddharth
Hardcover
Radical Duke: How One Aristocrat-And the American Revolution-Transformed Britain
Allen, Danielle
Hardcover
Witches: A History of Witchcraft, Witch-Hunters, and a King's Obsession: 1562-1735
Veerapen, Steven
Hardcover
The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery
Kara, Siddharth
Paperback
Kennedy's Only Hero: How Jfk's Obsession with Winston Churchill Defined His Presidency
Nelson, Joel
Hardcover
The Defector: The Untold Story of the KGB Agent Who Saved Mi5 and Changed the Cold War
Kerbaj, Richard
Hardcover
Secret Language of Victorian Jewelry: The History and Lore of Gems, Charms, and Talismans
Azzarito, Amy
Hardcover
Rebel of the Regency: The Scandalous Saga of Caroline of Brunswick, Britain's Queen Without a Crown
Foster, Ann
Hardcover
With a Little Help from Their Friends: The Beatles and the People Who Made Them
Maconie, Stuart
Hardcover
Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare's Greatest Rival
Greenblatt, Stephen
Hardcover
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777
Atkinson, Rick
Hardcover
The Secrets of Eaton Square: Sex, Scandal, and Infamy on the Road to Buckingham Palace
Larman, Alexander
Hardcover
Things We Found in the Ground: Discovering the History Buried Beneath Our Feet
Bruce, Ellie
Gray, Lucie
Paperback
The Crown's Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery in the Americas
Newman, Brooke N.
Hardcover
Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America
Shorto, Russell
Paperback
The Confessions of Samuel Pepys: Private Revelations from Britain's Most Famed Diarist
de la Bédoyère, Guy
Hardcover
Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare's Greatest Rival
Greenblatt, Stephen
Paperback
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--And How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
Johnson, Steven
Paperback
Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread: Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic
Richardson-Read, Scott
Paperback
The Dream Factory: London's First Playhouse and the Making of William Shakespeare
Swift, Daniel
Hardcover
Scottish History and Mythology: An Enthralling Journey Through Scotland's Past and Legendary Myths
Wellman, Billy
Hardcover
The Quest for El Dorado: Sir Walter Ralegh and the Search for the City of Gold
Gibbins, David
Hardcover
Churchill, Hitler, and the Unnecessary War: How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World
Buchanan, Patrick J.
Paperback
How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It
Herman, Arthur
Paperback
Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America
Shorto, Russell
Hardcover
The Men Who Lost America: British Command during the Revolutionary War and the Preservation of the Empire
O'Shaughnessy, Andrew J.
Paperback
The Painter's Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution
Anishanslin, Zara
Hardcover
The World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect: The Last Indie Music Scene 2000-2010
Warren, Janine
Hardcover
Queer Enlightenments: A Hidden History of Lovers, Lawbreakers, and Homemakers
Delaney, Anthony
Hardcover
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Larson, Erik
Hardcover
A Guide to Regency Dress: From Corsets and Breeches to Bonnets and Muslins
Davidson, Hilary
Hardcover
The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime
Flanders, Judith
Paperback
Fakers: A Top-Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries on the Disinformation Front Line
Cormac, Rory
Hardcover
Cromwell's Spy: From the American Colonies to the English Civil War: The Life of George Downing
Sewell, Dennis
Hardcover
Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread: Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic
Richardson-Read, Scott
Hardcover
Searching for the Norman Conquest: The Domesday Book and a 1,000-Mile Journey Across Britain
Adams, Max
Hardcover
Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill
Millard, Candice
Paperback
Stowaway: The Disreputable Exploits of the Rat - A New Scientist Non-Fiction Book of the Year
Shute, Joe
Paperback
They Fought Alone: The True Story of the Starr Brothers, British Secret Agents in Nazi-Occupied France
Glass, Charles
Paperback
Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
Cook, Kevin
Paperback
Whispers from Celtic Seas: The True Meanings of Ancient Stories from Northwest Europe
Nunn, Patrick
Hardcover
Republic and Empire: Crisis, Revolution, and America's Early Independence
O'Shaughnessy, Andrew Jackson
Burnard, Trevor
Hardcover
The Big Hop: The First Non-Stop Flight Across the Atlantic Ocean and Into the Future
Rooney, David
Paperback
Amazing Grace: The Life of John Newton and the Surprising Story Behind His Song
Hindmarsh, Bruce
Borlase, Craig
Paperback
Converts: From Oscar Wilde to Muriel Spark, Why So Many Became Catholic in the 20th Century
McDonagh, Melanie
Hardcover
Still in a Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers, and the Reinvention of Rock, 1984-1994
Reynolds, Simon
Paperback
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft & Mary Shelley
Gordon, Charlotte
Paperback
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
Sides, Hampton
Hardcover
The Intellectual Origins of American Slavery: English Ideas in the Early Modern Atlantic World
Harpham, John Samuel
Hardcover
A Vintage Victorian Christmas Sticker, Color & Activity Book: Over 200 Unique Stickers
Editors of Chartwell Books
Paperback
Our Island Story: A History of the Kings, Queens and Battles of England, Scotland and Britain for Boys and Girls
Marshall, H. E.
Paperback
Scotland's Forgotten Past: A History of the Mislaid, Misplaced and Misunderstood
Moffat, Alistair
McLaren, Joe
Paperback
Scotland: A Journey through Scottish History, Battles, Clans, Highlanders, Myths, Legends & More
Brought Alive, History
Paperback
A Spy Amongst Us: Daniel Defoe's Secret Service and the Plot to End Scottish Independence
Mierowsky, Marc
Hardcover
Forgotten Churches: Exploring England's Hidden Treasures: The Sunday Times Bestseller
Sherlock, Luke
Hardcover
Allies at War: How the Struggles Between the Allied Powers Shaped the War and the World
Bouverie, Tim
Paperback
The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock
Worsley, Lucy
Paperback
The Official Bridgerton Guide to Entertaining: How to Cook, Host, and Toast Like a Member of the Ton: A Cookbook
Timberlake, Emily
Hardcover
Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion, and the Queen Who Changed History
Tatarnic, Martha
Hardcover
The Story of Tudor Art: A History of Tudor England Through Its Art and Objects
Faraday, Christina J.
Hardcover
The Dukes: Edward VIII, Andrew, and Harry--The Men Who Undermined the Modern Monarchy
Sykes, Tom
Hardcover