THE CAPTIVES OF ABB'S VALLEY: A Legend of Frontier Life
Philadelphia: Presbyterian Bd of Publication, 1854. First Edition. Hardcover. Good. Item #2507002
Issue "B" with 168 pages, not 169. Original publisher's decorated blind-stamped 16mo cloth (6 1/8" in height) with gilt spine titles. Three plates are called for, but this copy with only two. There is no sign that the third plate ("Captain Moore's Home) was ever bound in. The two present are: "James kneeled down and engaged in prayer to God" and "He often called her to read to him out of her New Testament" (showing a Native American closely listening to a diminutive young woman read from the Bible). The Library of Congress summarizes the book thusly: "Captured in 1786 in Northwestern Virginia (West Virginia) by the Shawnee headed by Black Wolf, and thereafter sold to a Canadian as a slave. Mrs. Brown was captive for about 3 years, the story also tells of the 6 year captivity of her brother. Last 30 pages are family history after her marriage. Includes some stories of Simon Girty." Another online source describes the book in part: "Based on first-hand narrative accounts, James Moore Brown tells the extraordinary story of his mother's family, who were attacked and enslaved by the Shawnee tribe in 1786.The Moore family were early settlers from Ireland, who eventually made their home in Virginia. A branch of the family discovered Abb's Valley; a remote settlement, isolated but idyllic, and which had once belonged to Cherokee and Shawnee natives. After many years of happiness, forming a successful and religiously-devoted community, the Moore family was brutally attacked. The Shawnees ruthlessly killed the majority of the family, taking the survivors prisoner, including Mary Moore, James Moore Brown's mother." Considerable foxing, as expected, but mostly on the margin and blank areas. Small amount of loss to cloth at head and toe of spine. A good copy. Very very scarce.
Price: $200.00