Langhorn & Mary: A 19th Century American Love Story

Rating:
Summary: Ancestors come to life in this story!
Review: I couldn't put this book down right from the introduction.
Priscilla Stone Sharp has created a wonderful narrative woven around the factual documents she gathered during 15 years of family history research.
The story centers around 2 people, Langhorn Wellings, a black man, an orphan, born in the early 1800's and living in bucolic Bucks County Pennsylvania, befriended by the Quakers who helped him in many ways throughout his life, and his wife, Mary Stone, daughter of German-Americans Jacob & Mary Stone, one of 17 children.
Ms. Stone Sharp writes about her ancestors trials and triumphs in a most heartfelt and loving way, without getting overly emotional or making saints out of them. She honors their memory by creating a story of their life that is written with realism and warmth.
Langhorn and Mary's relationship not only had to bear up under the burden of nineteenth century extreme racism and its accompanying heartaches, but when Mary died of natural causes, Lang was accused of her murder, sent to jail and put on trial.
'Langhorn and Mary; A 19th Century American Love Story', in the end is a shining example of what doing family history research should be--bringing your ancestors lives into the light, becoming acquainted with them, and growing to love them.

Rating:
Summary: When will the story begin?
Review: I hate to say that I wasn't able to get past page 38. I think the author spent too much time proving to us how much research she'd done that the first chapter was spent entirely on who was who and who did what and owned what land/newspaper, etc. Once I made it to chapter II, I thought, "finally, the story begins." But after spending two paragraphs on Langhorn, the author went back to telling more of her research findings. By then, I lost interest and had to put it down. Maybe I should have more patience but if a book can't grab me by the second chapter, I put it down.

Rating:
Summary: When will the story begin?
Review: I hate to say that I wasn't able to get past page 38. I think the author spent too much time proving to us how much research she'd done that the first chapter was spent entirely on who was who and who did what and owned what land/newspaper, etc. Once I made it to chapter II, I thought, "finally, the story begins." But after spending two paragraphs on Langhorn, the author went back to telling more of her research findings. By then, I lost interest and had to put it down. Maybe I should have more patience but if a book can't grab me by the second chapter, I put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Langhorn and Mary
Review: This is a fabulous story. Priscilla Stone Sharp paints a vivid picture of rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania in the 19th century. She has cleverly woven her family research with accurate events of the period creating a beautiful story.

This is a "must read" for anyone searching for their roots in Bucks County.