Ethan Allen Homestead Museum

From the Ethan Allen Homestead:

Historian Mary Donchez explores the impact Thomas Jefferson had on the development of the American maple sugar industry, starting with his trip to Vermont in 1791. The talk explores the evolution of the industry, including technological advances and the influence of the Civil War, and discusses Jefferson’s lasting ties with Vermont as he attempted to persuade the new country to substitute maple sugar for slave-produced cane sugar. Along the way, it will provide insight into Jefferson’s views on the American economy, its economic independence from Great Britain, and particularly race and slavery.

Mary Donchez is a resident of Newton, Massachusetts, whose first post-retirement project was to earn a Master’s degree at Harvard University’s Extension School. This talk is based on her thesis for that degree. Her undergraduate degree, in history, is from Boston College. She spent her professional life working as an editor at WB Saunders, Macmillan, and Little, Brown publishing companies before retiring from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in 2011, where she worked as a project coordinator for patient disease management programs and as editor of the physician newsletter.

For more information: ethanallenhomestead.org

"Willard Sterne Randall discusses his new book, 'The Founders' Fortunes: How Money Shaped the American Revolution,' an illuminating financial history of the Founding Fathers, revealing how their personal finances shaped the Constitution and the new nation."

For more information: ethanallenhomestead.org

Liam McKone presents aspects of restoring independence to Ireland focused on Vermont and Quebec. These include Ira Allen’s arms deal in 1796, Vermont’s safe haven for the Patriote movement in 1837, and the Fenian Brotherhood’s attacks on Quebec in 1866 and 1870. McKone is president of the Fenian Historical Society and author of Vermont’s Irish Rebel, the biography of Captain John Lonergan, on sale at the event.

About McKone:

Born and raised on the Mexican border of Texas in 1937, McKone has embraced Vermont as his home in Cambridge since 1984. A former intelligence analyst with the National Security Agency with an MA in Military History, he writes about certain aspects of the struggle for Irish independence and the American Civil War of 1861-1865. The published history of Captain John Lonergan, who received a Medal of Honor for gallantry in leading his “Irish Company” at Gettysburg and was the head of the Fenians in Vermont, will hopefully be joined by several other books that are in the works.

Friederich Von Germann was a Hessian Captain, one of many German auxiliaries hired by King George III during the American Revolution. He arrived in the colonies in 1775 and was present at Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga. During the war, he painted a series of watercolors of German, British, and American Troops. Robert Grandchamp shares about these paintings that are frequently used as sources for American Uniforms.