As we completed our classical upper grammar homeschool studies in 2006-2007, we read a fun series of historical fiction chapter books.
Published by Focus on the Family and written by Nancy Rue, The Christian Heritage Series tells the story of through several generations of the Hutchinson family across major eras of American history.
Six books per five historical eras meant a total of thirty fun books for my kids to enjoy while learning history.
With excellence Rue weaves key elements of each era into these coming-of-age stories where history meets faith.
The Salem Years (1690-1692)
The Salem Years (1690-1692) feature shy Josiah Hutchinson whose adventures abound in two settings.
When not on the family farm in Salem Village, Josiah adventures among ships in the seaport of Salem Town.
When wild suspicions run amok, everyone fears the next accusation.
Will Josiah trust the Lord for boldness?
While telling the story of persecution by the accused witches, the book focuses on actions motivated by pure meanness in the days before the presumed witchcraft.
Therefore, it doesn’t get too heavy for kids, yet opens the door to discussion of the historical witch trials.
Due to increasingly severe persecution, the Hutchinson family moves away in 1691, a year before the Salem Witch Trials historically began.
Their new home is Williamsburg, technically Middle Plantation.
Seven years later the village is renamed Williamsburg, as it becomes the newly formed colonial capital of Virginia.
The Williamsburg Years (1780-1781)
The Williamsburg Years (1780-1781) feature Josiah’s great-grandson, Thomas Hutchinson, a rebel rouser who has unexpected adventures in two settings: the family plantation near Yorktown and the family town house in Williamsburg.
In fact their town house is represented by the Everard House across from the Governor’s Palace on the Palace Green.
When we toured the home for ourselves, we imagined Thomas and his many adventures.
Not supportive of slavery, his family only has indentured servants.
Rarely at home, Thomas’ patriotic father, serves as delegate in the capital that recently moved to Richmond from Williamsburg.
Often getting into trouble and ignoring his school lessons, Thomas’s father apprentices him to the apothecary in Williamsburg.
Arriving at the apothecary, Thomas discovers this skeleton causes him to take his master’s words, work to the bone, quite literally!
While terrified of the skeleton, Thomas willingly learns the apothecary trade which he actually finds interesting (he becomes a doctor when he grows up).
Meanwhile Thomas’ older brother leaves his studies at the College of William and Mary to spy with the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion.
Like children of every historical era he works through inner coming-of-age struggles while adventuring with his new friend, Caroline.
Together they create spy games in the abandoned Governors Palace gardens, hiding from each other in the maze where it’s difficult to find the point of entry.
Having proved himself as an apprentice, Thomas’ father arranges for Thomas to formally begin his classical studies at the College of William and Mary grammar school, down the street from the apothecary.
Unlike children of other eras, Thomas meets the British Redcoats who occupy Williamsburg.
Turncoat British General Benedict Arnold arrives in April 1781. If asked he would have said:
I am here conducting a mission for the British army. My stay will be brief. I have been sent to this province to destroy military supplies and to prohibit colonial reinforcements from reaching American forces opposing Lord Cornwallis, who now is campaigning further south. I also am here to allay the fears of the populace. We want to assure them that the royal dominion of Virginia is secure for King George and those loyal to him. -from the CW Journal, Autumn 2010
Surprisingly, Cornwallis and his army find themselves cornered in Yorktown near the family plantation by General Lafayette. Generals Washington and Rochambeau soon arrive with the Continental Army and the French Army.
Meanwhile Thomas gets caught up in espionage for the Continental Army, while his friend, Caroline, struggles with her father’s loyalist leanings.
The Charleston Years (1860-1861)
The Charleston Years feature Thomas and Caroline Hutchinson’s great-grandson, Austin, who is the son of an abolitionist family.
During the turbulent years on the eve of the Civil War, Autsin’s father takes his ill wife to Charleston, so her slave-owning brother can care for her.
Once his wife and children are safely in place, he leaves for important duties related to his abolitionist activism.
While staying with his uncle, Austin befriends one of the slave boys, Henry-James, with whom he shares stories of faith and many adventures.
Together they view the bombing of Fort Sumter from their roof top.
Small of stature and facing opposition all around, Austin disobeys the law to teach Henry-James how to read.
Austin also yearns to find a way to free his friend from slavery.
The Chicago Years (1928-1929)
The Chicago Years feature Austin’s grandson, Rudy , who lives with his father, sister, and Great Aunt Gussie (little sister of Austin) in her beautiful mansion home.
One of Rudy’s new friends a descendant of Henry-James, who was freed by Rudy’s grandfather, Austin. (That just warms my heart.)
Drawing pictures in his free time, Rudy volunteers at the Jane Addam’s tenement house at his Aunt Gussie’s insistence, where there are many lessons to learn.
His adventures in Aunt Gussie’s home abound with her odd possessions: a tattle-tale parrot and a cavernous sarcophagus…both of which were quite popular in the Roaring Twenties.
Complications abound when gangsters arrive on the scene, entangling Rudy and his new friends in a hot mess despite trying to work up the nerve to explain things to his busy absent-minded father.
The Santa Fe Years (1944-1945)
The Santa Fe Years (1944-1945) feature Will, who struggles with the discovery that he was adopted.
Not actually the son of Rudy Hutchinson, from the Chicago Years, Will questions his worth.
If he’s not part of the famed Hutchinson legacy, where does that leave him?
Moving his family from Chicago to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Rudy joins the local art community.
However war broke out.
While Rudy is stationed in the Philippines, the islands are attacked. The family wonders if Rudy has survived the Bataan Death March.
While discovering some strange testing happening in the desert, Will befriends some Navajo friends whose father is part of the Navajo Code Talkers in WWII.
Later they learn the desert mystery was a testing of the Atomic Bomb. Now what?
Will Rudy return home? Does Will find acceptance?
Epilogue
Reflecting on my kids’ first visit to Colonial Williamsburg in 2004, my kids made the strongest connections with the Williamsburg series.
We got to visit all the places, including Yorktown, where Thomas Hutchinson had his adventures.
The header photo of the carriage and horses are on Botetourt Street in Colonial Williamsburg. I thought that was an appropriate time portal to historical adventures. 😉
Although we haven’t visited the other locations in the Hutchinson series, we are now beguiled for future time travel trips!
Once there, I know I’ll take 1000 pictures…each to savor and relive as I whittle down to about the best 100…over which I’ll agonize to share a few here to update this blog post. Stay tuned!
Then in 2009 we surprisingly moved to Virginia, so we visited Colonial Williamsburg frequently in historical attire I sewed for my kids and I to wear.
On our first revisit to the apothecary shop, we passed by all the ceramic urns full of herbs and spices to the back room where we knew we’d find the fearsome skeleton.
Giggling and taking more pictures of this funniest scene from Thomas Hutchinson’s story, we then quietly walked to the third-person interpreter behind the counter, although with huge smiles.
Everyone wanted to know what was so funny…so we told them about the books!
Curious, the interpreter asked for the name of the series so she could buy them at the bookstore and read them.
Sadly, they are out of print, which is a shame, because these books are not fodder.
They are deep, rich, educational, and fun!
Their complex intermingling plot lines build interest, showing the development of character building while teaching American history.
