American Biographies - History Books

Emerson Carey, the powerful salt magnate of Hutchinson, Kansas, was the architect of his own rags-to-riches story on the prairie.

“I’ve seen a fly make a bull switch his tail” is a homespun quip attributed to Emerson Carey. True or not, the quote epitomizes the fearless and tenacious character of the legend who became Reno County’s benefactor. Young, awestruck Carey arrived in boomtown 1880s Hutchinson and went on to create an immense empire. Coal, ice, salt, strawboard, egg cases, bags, soda ash and streetcars—he presided over it all. From Carey’s sleeping in a coal yard with a quarter in his pocket to the founding of the exclusive Willowbrook community and attaining a net worth of more than $15 million, authors Lynn Ledeboer and Myron Marcotte relate the epic story.

Department stores were a midwest institution, none more prominent in downtown Columbus Ohio than F&R Laazarus & Company.

For more than 150 years, F&R Lazarus & Company was the heart of downtown Columbus. Headed by the first family of American retailing with an eye for flair and a devotion to the customer, this uniquely midwestern institution won the hearts and minds of a community. Look to Lazarus draws on the memories of those who worked and shopped in this grand emporium to tell the unlikely story of a love affair between a city and a store. It was a love affair born of the solemn promise You can always take it back to Lazarus, no questions asked.

Ghost stories from the Duke City have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

The haunted history of Albuquerque comes to life—even when the main players are dead. Hear the clinking of spurs against ghostly cowboy boots walking through the High Noon Restaurant. Or witness the lights flicker at the Church Street Café. Stop by La Hacienda restaurant and perhaps dine with a presence from another realm! Dive into this spooky chapter book for suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

Ghost stories from the Scenic City have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

The haunted history of Chattanooga comes to life—even when the main players are dead. Dare to visit Raccoon Mountain Caverns to see if a ghostly night watchman returns for his shift. See the spirits who haunt several area schools. Or explore the Chickamauga Battlefield to learn Civil War history—and perhaps meet the ghosts of fallen soldiers. Dive into this spooky chapter book for suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

German New York is an interesting history of the rich cultural heritage of this community.

German New York City celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the hundreds of thousands of German immigrants who left the poverty and turmoil of 19th- and 20th-century Europe for the promise of a better life in the bustling American metropolis. German immigration to New York peaked during the 1850s and again during the 1880s, and by the end of the 19th century New York had the third-largest German-born population of any city worldwide. German immigrants established their new community in a downtown Manhattan neighborhood that became known as Kleindeutschland or Little Germany. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, much of the German population moved north to the Upper East Side's Yorkville and subsequently spread out to the other boroughs of the city.

The true story of a woman who abandoned Chicago for a secluded life in a remote shack—and became an early twentieth-century sensation.

In the fall of 1915, an educated woman named Alice Gray traded her life in bustling Chicago for a solitary journey in the remote sand hills of northwest Indiana along Lake Michigan. Living in a fisherman’s shack, she measured herself against nature rather than society’s rigid conventions. Her audacity so bewitched reporters and a curious public that she became a legend in her own time—she became “Diana of the Dunes.”

Over a century later, the story is still a popular folktale, but questions remain. Who was Alice Gray? Why did this Phi Beta Kappa scholar leave Chicago? What happened to her soul mate, Paul Wilson? In this first-ever book about Diana of the Dunes, the mystery of Alice Gray is revealed by those who knew her and through new research. Excerpts from her dunes diary are published here for the first time since 1918. In these pages, rediscover the legend of Diana of the Dunes—and learn the truth.

Ghost stories from Bisbee, Arizona have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery! 

The haunted history of Prescott comes to life—even when the main players are dead. Visit the Loretto Academy, but keep your eye out for the ghosts of students from long ago. Or walk into Zacatecas Canyon and risk bumping into the Woman in White. Dive into this spooky chapter book for suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

Ghost stories from Oklahoma City have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

The haunted history of OKC comes to life—even when the main players are dead. Visit the Overholser House and catch a glimpse of its original occupants, one of the wealthiest families to live in Oklahoma City. Or drive past Kitchen Lake and, perhaps, keep an ear out for phantom babies crying in the night. Dive into this spooky chapter book for suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

Once considered just an insect-ridden swampland, Florida is now a top destination for tourism, business, agriculture and innovation thanks to these 25 individuals.

Florida is in many ways both the oldest and newest of the megastates. The ideas and actions of a colorful cast of characters - from beloved cultural icons to political heroes and even a socialist dictator - transformed the peninsula. A Barbados native rescued Florida's orange industry after the catastrophic 1835 freeze. Known as the Grande Dame of the Everglades, Marjory Stoneman Douglas worked tirelessly to save the state's vast, incomparable wetlands from annihilation in the early twentieth century. In the mid-1800s, a Florida doctor developed a precursor to modern air conditioning. Join former U.S. senator George LeMieux and journalist Laura Mize as they profile and rank, according to impact, the 25 trailblazers who have changed the Sunshine State forever.

In this intimate true crime biography, the author recounts his great grandfather’s journey from local grocer to Prohibition-era crime boss.

Sicilian immigrant “Big George” Niotta did exceptionally well for a grocery wholesaler. That’s because his biggest clients were bootleggers. He delivered hundreds of pounds of sugar to illegal liquor operations across California, supplying an essential ingredient and making sweet profits. But his criminal operations didn’t end there.

Niotta rose to prominence thanks to his magnetic charm, collaborating with infamous bootlegger Frank Borgia and influential gambling baron Jack Dragna. Dogged by the IRS, Niotta expanded his enterprise into ringer horses, a multimillion-dollar lottery, and a notorious gambling parlor. Through extensive research and interviews with family members, J. Michael Niotta explores three decades of L.A. crime, including a rare insider's look at the Eagle Brewing Company and other survivors of Prohibition.

Author Thea Lewis takes a revealing ride through the unique and colorful history of the Green Mountain State.

Vermont is a picturesque landscape, but the idyllic setting hides a sometimes dark and desperate past. H.H. Holmes, America's first serial killer, may have been the University of Vermont's deadliest student. A Burlington resident made an empire partly by carrying contraband goods to and from Canada. The first United States president subject to a birther movement wasn't 44, but a much lower number. A Burlington schoolboy ran away with the circus and became an international sensation under the big top.

Explore the summertime traditions and discover all the ways that Lackawanna County's Italian community seeks to preserve its heritage.

Boasting one of the nation's largest and most diverse Italian-American populations, Lackawanna County in Northeastern Pennsylvania joins old and new generations alike. With events such as La Corsa dei Ceri - commonly referred to as St. Ubaldo Day - in Jessup on Memorial Day Weekend and La Festa Italiana on downtown Scranton's Courthouse Square over Labor Day Weekend, every town in the county with an Italian population has its own story. Whether the people can trace their origins to Guardia or Gubbio, Felitto or Perugia, the Italians of Lackawanna County all share one thing in common: a strong sense of pride in their ethnic origins.

George Washington and Alexandria recounts and celebrates the life, legacy, and leadership of the city's hometown hero and the father of the nation.

No other city in America had the impact that Alexandria had on George Washington’s personal life and professional career. From his first job as surveyor until the last day of his life, Washington was supported by his neighbors, friends, and family from Alexandria. Alexandrians helped make him the father of our nation. In return, Washington helped shape the city and, by extension, the new American nation.

Washington’s half brothers were the first landowners and trustees to the city of Alexandria, and prominent local families like the Fairfaxes were influential in Washington’s life. Alexandria merchants, John Carlyle, John Dalton, and William Ramsay, did business with Washington and supported him during the French and Indian War and Revolutionary War. During the Revolutionary War, other citizens like John Fitzgerald and Robert Harrison served as his aides de camp, and doctors like James Craik and William Brown served Washington and his family. After the war, Washington helped start the Alexandria Academy and the Potomac Company, and he was a shareholder in the Bank of Alexandria. He was an active member in Alexandria’s Christ Church.

While Washington’s home was Mount Vernon, his hometown was Alexandria. It was fitting that the city would celebrate his return from the Revolutionary War, see him off as president, and build enduring memorials to his legacy.

In the years before the Revolutionary War, Norwich, Connecticut was a hotbed of radicalism. As a trade and transportation center, its merchants took a leading role in objecting to British taxes and laws that threatened their livelihood. Meet the Norwich men who risked everything in the cause of Liberty: Colonel John Durkee, the warrior; and Samuel Huntington, the statesman and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Other notable figures include Major General Jedidiah Huntington, merchant turned soldier; and Benedict Arnold, brilliant soldier turned traitor; Col. John Durkee, a commander at the Battle of Monmouth; and Dr. Philip Turner, who became staff surgeon for the Continental Army.  Local author and historian Patricia F. Staley tells the story of America’s War for Independence through the stories of those from Norwich who fought to create a new nation.

Unsung heroes of the Old Dominion

Historians have spilled plenty of ink on the leaders of the Continental Army and French forces at the 1781 Siege of Yorktown. But less is known about the top leadership of the Virginia militia forces who were also at that decisive engagement. Several—including Brigadier General George Weedon, Colonel James Innes and Lieutenant Colonel William Darke—were former Continental Army officers with extensive battlefield experience. Others—such as Colonel Sampson Mathews, Colonel John Page and Colonel Sir John Peyton—were prominent civic leaders who took to the field to defend their native state.

Using a wide array of sources and compelling images, Sean M. Heuvel explores the lives and service of the regimental and brigade-level Virginia militia commanders who served at Yorktown.

Witch? Sorceress? Daughter of Satan? Murderer? Thief? Saint? Which label best fits Marie Laveau?

Queen of the voodoos, she is considered to have been the most important voodooienne ever to have reigned on this continent.

Robert Tallant, well known for his fine stories of the South, including Voodoo in New Orleans and Gumbo Ya-Ya, attempted to make use of all available facts and information in re-creating the life of this infamous woman. Marie Laveau, the last and most storied American sorceress, continues to weave her spell as those who read this fascinating portrait will discover.

Ghost stories from Motor City have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!/

em>Welcome to the spooky streets of Motown!/em>

Stay Alert! Ghosts lurk around every corner. Even the most unexpected places might be haunted by wandering phantoms.

Pulled right from history, these ghostly tales will change the way you see Detroit forever, and have you sleeping with the lights on!

Starting as an ice-cream truck in 1929; Carvel has became the standard of ice-cream franchises across America.

When an unassuming, wide-eyed, young Greek immigrant arrived in America in 1910, the world did not yet know that this boy named Tom Carvel would grow up to be an inventor, an innovator, and, ultimately, an American icon. Holding a host of jobs, from drummer to mechanic, Carvel's relentless entrepreneurial spirit led him down a path less traveled. At 26 years old, Carvel met his future wife, Agnes Stewart. He borrowed $15 from her and began selling ice cream out of the back of his truck. What started as an old truck plugged into a pottery store is now more than 500 franchised locations throughout the nation and abroad and is one of the best loved and most recognized names in the industry. Fulfilling the American dream, Carvel is credited for patenting machinery, coining the ""buy one get one"" coupon, starring in his own commercials, and being the ""father of franchising.""

Explore the fascinating history of Detroit’s Gesu Catholic Church and Schoolthrough the images and stories of the people who were there.

In a reconfigured farmhouse just a mile outside of the city limits of Detroit, a Jesuit priest and 25 men, women, and children gathered to celebrate Sunday mass on March 19, 1922.

The Reverend John McNichols named the Catholic mission church Gesu, the Italian word for Jesus.Gesubecame one of Detroit's landmark parishes. Its history illustrates the Motor City'sboom, bust, resilience, and resurgence. It was the home parish of four Detroit mayors, powerful members of Congress, auto industry titans, sports legends, artists, authors, and actors. At its peak in the mid-1960s, GesuSchool enrolled 1,600 students. Because of Detroit's decline and its racial and economic struggles, Gesuis one of only four Catholic elementary schools that remain in the city. But as Detroit rebounds, Gesu Schoolis growing again.

Author Patricia Montemurri is an award-winning Detroit journalist whose in-laws were the church's architects and stained-glass designers.Gesu'shistory unfolds here through vintage photographs from the parish archives, the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the University of Detroit Mercy, the Walter P. Reuther Library, the Michigan Catholic, and the albums of Gesuparishioners and graduates.

The migration of Italians to the area began in 1864 with Raffaele Bracaccini, who was attracted by the beauty of Lake Erie and the countryside.

By 1938, Erie's 18,000 Italians comprised the third largest ethnic group. Erie had its own Italian language newspaper from 1915 to 1940. St. Paul's Church was built with the contributions of Italian immigrants. Columbus School, Columbus Park, and Rose Memorial Hospital were established. Societies and businesses flourished. This book contains more than 200 photographs collected from local families representing the collective memory and history of Erie's Italian community from the 1860s to the 1950s.

Drawn from scores of family albums, these intimate snapshots tell the story of the unique and universal saga of Italian immigration and life in Chicago.

More than 25,000 Italian immigrants came to Chicago after 1945. The story of their exodus and reestablishment in Chicago touches on war torn Italy, the renewal of family and paesani connections, the bureaucratic challenges of the restrictive quota system, the energy and spirit of the new immigrants, and the opportunities and frustrations in American society.

The beautiful landscapes of central California’s Coastside state parks were once home to forgotten pioneers and unique industries.

The tumultuous personal life of Robert Mills didn’t hinder his commitment to his dairy business in Half Moon Bay, now the Burleigh H. Murray Ranch State Park. And the Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park, named after a shipwreck, remains a beacon of architectural beauty more than a century later. From hideaways for freedom fighters rebelling against the Spanish to the site of several booming lumber operations, Coastside parks have long been an integral part of California’s history.

Join author JoAnn Semones as she explores the innovators and entrepreneurs behind these stunning parks.

Even in paradise, evil sometimes creeps in.

Thoughts of Alabama invite images of Confederate jasmine and fertile cotton fields, sweet iced tea and Southern hospitality, but there's a darker side to the state's history. Some of the stories captured within the pages of this book are well known to the good folks of North Alabama; others are less familiar. The scandals of Lincoln's brother-in-law, the reign of terror created by Huntsville's Southwest Molester, the Decatur man who buried his wife's dismembered body under the fish pond and the beautiful Black Widow of Hazel Green--all of these stories are well researched and masterfully written by Huntsville author Jacquelyn Procter Reeves. True-crime fans will appreciate this treasury of stories spanning nearly two hundred years of North Alabama history.

Kansans like to think of their state as a land of industrious, law-abiding and friendly people, and for the most part they are correct.

Kansas history has many tales of murders, cons, extrajudicial killings and other crimes. Its restive frontier attracted menacing characters, such as a cowboy who murdered a man for snoring, the serial-killing Bender family and the train-robbing James-Younger Gang. Although the area was eventually settled, the scandals did not cease. Learn about how a quack doctor nearly won the governorship, a decommissioned nuclear missile silo housed the largest LSD manufacturing operation in American history and more. Author Adrian Zink explores the salacious side of Kansas history in these wild and degenerate stories.

For over a century, drag has been an unstoppable force in Milwaukee nightlife. On June 7, 1884, "The Only Leon'? brought the fine art of female impersonation to the Grand Opera Hall, launching a proud local legacy that continues today at This Is It, La Cage, Hamburger Mary's, D.I.X. and innumerable other venues.

Historians Michail Takach and BJ Daniels recognize that today's LGBTQ liberties were born from the strength, resilience, and resistance of yesterday's gender non-conforming pioneers. This is a long overdue celebration of those stories, including high-rolling hustler of the Fourth Ward "Badlands'? Frank Blunt, over-the-top dinner theater drag superstar of the 1950s Adrian Ames, and "It Kid'? Jamie Gays, first-ever Miss Gay Milwaukee and Latin community hero.

And many, many more.

Well known for its picturesque setting, Napa Valley is also home to crimes perpetrated in the name of greed, love and rage.

Shocking incidents have rocked the small communities nestled among the vineyards, like that of greedy young Billy Duvall, who killed his parents as they slept, and Bob Edwards, who suffocated his beloved wife in a misguided attempt to keep a promise. Two victims of domestic violence came to very different ends--one murdered and the other offered a second chance at life after a jail sentence.

Join author and retired Napa Superior Court judge Raymond A. Guadagni as he offers his unique perspective on these notorious court cases and the criminal justice system.

Legends of LIC

Long Island City may be one of New York’s fastest growing neighborhoods, but it already has an incredible history within the Big Apple. DeWitt Clinton lived in a mansion off Newtown Creek and is credited with bringing the “Inland Empire” to the “Empire City” by spearheading the construction of the Erie canal, connecting America’s heartland to New York’s economic hub. William Steinway saw Astoria as the perfect blank canvas to build his groundbreaking “Steinway Settlement,” including a waterfront park, public bathhouse, housing, a family mansion and a new factory to build his world-renowned pianos. The neighborhood has been a center of innovation, with Chester Carlson’s lab as the site of the first photocopy. And the Sony company launched dozens of pioneering transistor-based products from Sunnyside’s Van Dam street.

Join the Greater Astoria Historical Society as they present historic tales from Long Island City.

Stories of the Greatest Generation come alive in the hands of longtime local journalist Adrian O’Connor

What made the D-Day attack on Omaha Beach so remarkable was that it was carried out largely out by National Guardsman – men of the 29th Infantry Division who had never before seen combat. One of the companies that was part of this historic day hailed from the environs of Winchester, Virginia. Winchester’s martial gallantry was hardly restricted to the beaches of Normandy, though. A future city councilor came ashore at Anzio, Italy. A future school principal fought in what may have been the Pacific’s toughest battle, Iwo Jima. Local men held the line at the climactic Battle of the Bulge, flew over Europe and the oil fields of Ploesti and even escaped a German prisoner-of-war camp.

Famous People of Queens showcases a diverse group of characters and historical eras: actors, athletes, business people, politicians, religious leaders, scientists, singers, war heroes, writers, and famous people who weren’t born in Queens but lived in the borough for a long time. Author Rob MacKay is a longtime, award-winning community journalist who has worked for the Queens Economic Development Corporation and operates various social media channels that promote the borough’s restaurants, shops, and tourism attractions. His interest in writing this book grew organically—and intensely—after he became a trustee of the Queens Historical Society.

Join local historian Tim Crumrin as he reveals the blackguards, rogues and swindlers of Terre Haute’s rough and rowdy past.

For more than a century, Terre Haute earned its reputation as a sin city. One of the most notorious red-light districts in the Midwest, the West End, housed sixty brothels and nearly one thousand prostitutes at its height in the 1920s. Across this sordid scene strode the stylish and indomitable Edith Brown, the city’s most famous madam. When Prohibition made the city bootlegger central, violence erupted as rival gangs vied for turf. Gamblers flooded in from all corners of the country, making Terre Haute’s Wire Room second only to Las Vegas. Through it all, corrupt politicians like Mayor Donn Roberts profited handsomely from grift and deception.

Wild Women of Michigan commemorates the women of this state who boldly left their marks.

Countless Michiganian women performed extraordinary acts that challenged and improved the world. Madame Marie-Therese Cadillac served as the medicine woman in the frontier that became Detroit. Annie Taylor survived rolling over Niagara Falls in a barrel. After suffragist Anna Howard Shaw fought to vote, the state saw an influx of women running for office. In the 1970s, East Lansing's Patricia Beeman aided in efforts to end apartheid in South Africa. Suellen Finatri showcased an extreme side of equestrian sports by riding more than four thousand miles from St. Ignace to Skagway, Alaska. And World War II army flight nurse Aleda Lutz evacuated more than 3,500 wounded soldiers and is still recognized as one of America's most decorated servicewomen. Author and historian Norma Lewis commemorates the women who boldly left their marks.