CitizenDaniel.com
Title
Citizen Daniel and the Call of America
Description
"Extravagant claims should not be made, but it is indeed rare that accounts like these survive time and distance. I have tried to present them as they stand in the hope that they will appeal not only to descendants of the authors, but also to students of the period and, indeed, to any reader with a wish to be put in mind of things as they were nearly two centuries ago. Because the Constables of Horley chose to record what they did they are no longer historically anonymous, nor are the many people whom they encountered during their travels and trials in the early republic."—J. Brian Jenkins, Citizen Daniel (1775–1835) and the Call of America
This extraordinary book centers primarily on the travels in America of a shopkeeper, Daniel Constable, of Horley, England. His first journey began in 1806, when he left home with his brother William and their dog, Frank, and sailed into New York Harbor after an eventful 60-day crossing. Daniel wanted to see firsthand the country he considered the ultimate fulfillment of a political ideal. William, a talented artist and engineer who later became a daguerreotypist of note in Brighton, sketched of much of what they saw in the ensuing two years.
They traveled (usually on foot, often on rivers, always with Frank) more than 7,000 miles, through 14 of the 17 states in existence at that time as well as through territories and wilderness areas. They shared a friendship with the Old Philosopher, Thomas Paine; walked their way to Niagara along the Passaic, Hudson, and Genessee Rivers (William's are among the earliest extant pictures of the Falls); traveled down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans; and even unwittingly participated in the Aaron Burr conspiracy. They give remarkably detailed accounts about every aspect of American life—whom they met, where they stayed, what was being sold in market at what price, how people worked, worshiped, and dressed, and countless contemporary events. Correspondence from friends and family, which they saved, kept them apprised of news at home.
Languages
English
Additional Information
Related Domains
- Aaron Burr
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