The second volume in this series introduces the author’s maternal ancestors, who were among the first to settle on the East Coast of North America. More than half of the Mortimores lived in the New England colonies, with some arriving on the Mayflower. Many participated in the American Revolution. Relying mostly on historical documents, the author pieces together a story that spans more than a century in the life of the Mortimore family as they migrated from the East Coast through the Northwest Territory and eventually settled in Iowa. You’ll meet larger-than-life characters like Jack Mortimore, who left his family for three years with no explanation and returned to complain about how they’d run things while he was gone. You’ll thrill to the courage of heroes such as Rachel Combs, the midwife who let nothing get in the way of helping the women who needed her-not even a bear in her path. And you will be delighted by everyday eccentrics like Jim Mortimore, who was very proud of his job as skunk controller for the town of Saratoga, Wyoming. Soldiers, pioneers, farmers, artisans, visionaries-the story of the Mortimore family is the story of this country’s courage and curiosity, making this book a treasure for anyone interested in America’s westward expansion.