Robert A. Geake has been writing about Rhode Island history for over thirty years. His articles have appeared in 'The Providence Journal', 'The Bridge', of Pawtuxet, 'The Coventry Townsman', and other publications. He is the author of eight books on local and New England history, including 'Keepers of the Bay: A History of the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island', 'A History of the Providence River', 'The New England Mariner Tradition', and 'Colonial New England Curiosities'. He is a board member and archivist at the Warwick Historical Society.
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9 products
A History of the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island: Keepers of the Bay
9781609492588
Regular price $21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%A history of the Narragansett Tribe of RI from early European encounters to the tribe's return to sovereignty in the 20th Century.
Before Roger Williams set foot in the New World, the Narragansett farmed corn and squash, hunted beaver and deer, and harvested clams and oysters throughout what would become Rhode Island. They also obtained wealth in the form of wampum, a carved shell that was used as currency along the eastern coast. As tensions with the English rose, the Narragansett leaders fought to maintain autonomy. While the elder Sachem Canonicus lived long enough to welcome both Verrazzano and Williams, his nephew Miatonomo was executed for his attempts to preserve their way of life and circumvent English control. Historian Robert A. Geake explores the captivating story of these Native Rhode Islanders.
A History of the Providence River: With the Moshassuck, Woonasquatucket & Seekonk Tributaries
9781609499020
Regular price $21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The Providence River begins its journey from the confluence of the Moshassuck and Woonasquatucket Rivers, in the capital city from which the river takes its name. A short distance downstream, the Seekonk River joins with the Providence as they flow on toward the mouth of Narragansett Bay. The history of the Ocean State was made on the banks of this historic river. It was here that Roger Williams established the first settlement dedicated to religious liberty, Rochambeau's army made its first encampment on the road to Yorktown and the Walsh-Kaiser Shipyard built World War II vessels for the Allied maritime effort. Along its waters glided boats and ships engaged in the slave trade, the raid on the Gaspee" and all manner of coastal commerce. Historian Robert A. Geake has paddled the river's length to uncover the mysteries coursing within."
Colonial New England Curiosities
9781626196421
Regular price $19.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The New World was full of unusual occurrences and strange trials for the early colonists of New England. Devastating plagues, violent conflicts with Native Americans and freak weather ravaged whole communities. When settlers saw an array of colors dancing through the night sky, they thought the Northern Lights were a sign that their end was near. Violators of public drunkenness were forced to wear large, red embroidered "D's" around their necks for a year under the strict laws of the colonies. Through the letters, diaries and journals of influential figures of the time, historian Robert A. Geake uncovers the oddities and wonders that amazed New England's pioneers.
Death in Early New England
9781467154789
Regular price $23.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%Death in early New England came early and often during those harsh first decades of settlement.
Epidemics, hunger, accidents and childbirth contributed to a heavy toll in New England. Disease in some cases erased entire families, and almost always affected the majority of individuals in the communities. For most families, death was still a private affair. Traditions brought over with European customs and others that were strictly American were eventually interwoven, and these ceremonies, tokens and portraits of remembrance became part of these rites and rituals of mourning. Other forms of remembrance were carved into stone with heart-wrung epitaphs, the cause of death and brief biographies. Burial sites themselves evolved from family plots and church graveyards to public, garden-like cemeteries.
Historian Robert A. Geake explores the development of rites and rituals of death in this New World.
Historic Rhode Island Farms
9781626192621
Regular price $21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Dating back to the colonial era, the historic barns and outbuildings of Rhode Island have withstood the test of time. From the state's early barnyard taverns to the modern-day horse and dairy farms that populate rural Rhode Island, each of these buildings has a story to tell. In the mid-eighteenth century, the Narragansett planters bred horses on their farms in southern Rhode Island. Later, dairy farms sprang up across the region. Milking barns were built on the largest farms in the state, including the Theinhert Dairy Farm and Barn in Lincoln. Before the advent of electric trolleys, urban barns sheltered horses for early tramcar transportation. Each barn is a beloved reminder of the state's history. Join author Robert A. Geake as he explores the origins and evolution of Rhode Island's farms.
Historic Taverns of Rhode Island
9781609495831
Regular price $21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
This book chronicles a number of Rhode Island's historic taverns and the stories contained within their walls. Some of the taverns include: The Mowry Tavern, which was the site of political gatherings, protests and religious observances under Roger Williams; The Benedict Arnold Tavern built in 1693; The White Horse Tavern, which soon became the meeting place for Rhode Island legislators; and the Ruff Stone Tavern in North Providence was an establishment with a long history, having served as a pub, a stop on the Underground Railroad and a speakeasy during prohibition.
New England Citizen Soldiers of the Revolutionary War
9781467142601
Regular price $24.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Many of the leaders and heroes of the Revolutionary War are well known to most Americans. Lesser known are those unsung heroes or citizen soldiers who first enlisted with local militias before being assigned to units of the Continental Line and sent away to fight in states and regions far removed from their homes and families. In New England, these also included men of the sea who signed aboard privateers or became part of the Mariner brigades that became indispensable in navigating waterways and ferrying troops into position. It is also the larger story of their struggle to maintain their loyalty to their home states, property and family. Author and historian Robert Geake uncovers the untold story of ordinary citizens who became united in the cause for freedom.
New England Plantations
9781467148146
Regular price $21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
From the first settlements within New England, the developing colonies of British North America became inextricably linked to slavery. The region supplied critical goods to the sugar plantations established by British planters in the West Indies. The northern colonies established their own slave plantations to supply the growing demand for goods that led to unparalleled growth in commerce and to the subsequent involvement in the triangle trade. As these northern plantations diminished at the close of the eighteenth century, the rise of textile manufacturing continued to tie the region to slavery. Historian Robert A. Geake explores the familial and economic ties that bound New England and the South into the Civil War.
The New England Mariner Tradition: Old Salts, Superstitions, Shanties and Shipwrecks
9781626192287
Regular price $19.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
For over three centuries, New Englanders have set sail in search of fortune and adventure--yet death lurked on every voyage in the form of storms, privateers, disease and human error. In hope of being spared by the sea, superstitious mariners practiced cautionary rituals. During the winter of 1779, the crew aboard the Family Trader" offered up gin to appease the squalling storms of Neptune. In the 1800s, after nearly fifty shipwrecks on Georges Bank between Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Nova Scotia, a wizard paced the coast of Marblehead, shouting orders out to sea to guide passing ships to safety. As early as 1705, courageous settlers erected watch houses and lighted beacons at Beavertail Point outside Jamestown, Rhode Island, to aid mariners caught in the swells of Narragansett Bay. Join Robert A. Geake as he explores the forgotten traditions among New England mariners and their lives on land and sea."
