About the book
"Too much history has been lost in abandoned ruins and cellar holes deep
in our New Hampshire forests. When we come upon them by chance they
are but mute witness to our wondering who lived there and, more importantly,
what was the result of their living?
"Sheila Swett Thompson gives us the answers for
one of the Monadnock Region's most colorful characters, Perley Swett, known
locally and nationally as "the Hermit of Taylor Pond." Her exhaustive
research into Perley's life and insight into his character (as his granddaughter)
has produced a flowing narrative that shows that those who lived deep in
the Stoddard, New Hampshire woods during what we might think of as "simpler
times," hardly led simple lives! The author paints a rich picture
of life on a home farm, the events that shaped Perley's view of the world
and the forces that led him into self-imposed exile. The result is
history kept...and poignantly presented." - Bob Weekes
Excerpts:
Let me introduce you.....
My grandfather, Perley Swett, dug his own grave,
both literally and figuratively. Born during the harsh winter of
1888 in a sparsely populated corner of Stoddard, New Hampshire, he began
a journey from cradle to grave that would never take him far from his roots.
Grampa wanted to make sure that he would never be
forced to leave the New Hampshire farm he was born on...and which had become
his refuge...even in death. Worried that his family might ignore his written
instructions and bury him in a more conventional spot, (He was concerned,
as he put it, that "lawyers would prefer to please the living rather than
honor a dead man's wishes.") Perley felt he had to take matters into
his own hands. And, at age seventy-five, he did just that - with
a pick and shovel.
Comments:
Though Sheila Swett, the author, knew her grandfather, Perley Swett,
he was as much a mystery to her as he was to everyone else. It wasn't
until she started piecing together the wealth of information she had acquired
about his life that a story so bizarre and yet so intriguing started to
take shape. It was a story that Sheila felt simply had to be shared.
The "True Story of a New Hampshire Hermit" is the culmination of six years
worth of research.
The Historical Society of Cheshire County is pleased to
offer this publication of local history.
About the Author
Sheila Swett Thompson grew up in the rural town of Sullivan, NH.
Like her grandfather, she never moved far from her roots settling just
ten miles away from where she was born. Sheila now lives with her husband,
Richard Thompson, and two sons, Jake and Sam in West Swanzey, part of the
beautiful Monadnock Region of southwestern New Hampshire
Return to top
Return to Old Mountain Press
Books In Print
|
