Grandfather Stories facts for kids
Cover of hardback Book-of-the-Month Club edition
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| Author | Samuel Hopkins Adams |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Folklore, Historical fiction, Reminiscence |
| Publisher | Random House, Inc. |
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Publication date
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1955 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 312 pp |
Grandfather Stories is a fascinating book written by Samuel Hopkins Adams. It's a collection of 23 stories that mix real history with exciting tales. Many of these stories take place in Upstate New York, especially around the famous Erie Canal. Some stories are from the 1820s, told by Adams's own grandfather. Others are from the 1870s and 1880s, when Adams was a young boy. The book lets you peek into the past, showing what life was like back then.
Contents
Discovering Grandfather Stories
This book is a special mix of true memories and made-up stories. It's hard to tell exactly which parts are facts and which are fiction. Some parts are clearly from Samuel Hopkins Adams's own life. Other parts are historical fiction, meaning they are stories set in the past but with invented characters or events. Still others seem to be Adams imagining what his grandfather's life was like.
When the book came out, a reviewer from The New York Times, Carl Carmer, loved it. He said the book showed the past in a very detailed and charming way. He felt it had a real, authentic feeling.
The Author's Unique Style
One cool thing about Grandfather Stories is how Adams uses old-fashioned words. These are words his grandfather might have used a long time ago. Adams was very good at making these old words feel alive and strong again. Because of this, the book has been used by people who study American speech. It's also a helpful source for historians learning about the early days of the Erie Canal.
Adventures Along the Erie Canal
Many of the stories begin with young Samuel Adams and his cousins. They are sitting in their grandfather's living room in Rochester, New York. They hope to get him to tell a story instead of giving them a lecture! Their grandfather, Myron Adams, had a very interesting youth. In the early 1820s, his father won a job to dig part of the Erie Canal. This made Myron an important person among the canal workers.
Myron Adams was a respected businessman in the area. He traveled often through upstate New York. His adventures included being a judge for a pie-eating contest. He also saw the brave Sam Patch jump to his death from Rochester's High Falls. He even charmed the visiting English writer Frances Wright. Myron also helped a person seeking freedom escape to Canada. Adams even says his grandfather was at the very first showing of a motion picture!
Peeking into History
The tales in the book are like little treasures of social history. They show us how people lived in the past. For example, you can read about New Year customs in Rochester's fancy Third Ward. There are also stories about early professional baseball in Rochester. The book also mentions how unfair competitions caused professional rowing to decline. You can also learn about the invention of the detachable shirt collar in Troy, New York.
Adams also describes meeting the famous abolitionist and rescuer of enslaved people, Harriet Tubman. His family helped her after she settled in nearby Auburn.
Grandfather Stories has even been suggested as a travel guide. It can help you explore Upstate New York and imagine what it was like long ago.
