Missing Links to the Culper Spy Ring?

Missing Links to the Culper Spy Ring?
Bernadine Fawcett
Infinity Publishing
ISBN: 0-7414-2159-3
Non-Fiction, History
Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady

I love genealogy. I enjoy hearing about the exploits of my ancestors. I find it extremely interesting to pour through old letters. Mostly though, I find myself wondering about the real stories behind these life glimpses really.

Missing Links to the Culper Spy Ring? essentially asks the same question about the life of Reverend Andrew Elliot. The author has collected a good deal of information (hearsay, letters, and implied information) about the Reverend that suggests that he may have been more than just a man of the church. In fact, the man may also have been a spy who exchanged information with such historical figures as George Washington, Ben Franklin, John Hancock, and Colonial Jackson.

I found this book interesting on two levels. I enjoyed following the author as she pieced together historical information in order to support her theory that indeed Reverend Andrew Elliot had been a spy. However, I also enjoyed the letters for the cultural information that they possessed. I feel that anytime you read a letter from the past, you gain insight into the things that these individuals valued and felt were important to discuss as well as what they deemed appropriate to share with other individuals (often including family and community gossip).