Author's Note:
Moses of the Barkeaters is based on factual history. Most of the characters in the story were real people. Captain Moses, Sr. and the spy, Moses, Jr. were my ancestors.
Years of research have gone into this book, especially pertaining to extensive family genealogy. Most beneficial to my research was Holden's History of Queensbury by William Holden. Also very helpful was thirty years of research done by William K. Harris of Gloversville, New York.
The great Algonquin Indian Nation has in its domain most of northern New York, including the Valley of the Lakes - Lake George and Lake Champlain. After years of war and struggle, the powerful Iroquois Nation drove the Algonquin Indians north. One severe winter, in their struggle for survival, they were forced to eat the bark of the trees. Thereafter, the Iroquois' called the Algonquin, Adirondacks, meaning people who eat the bark of trees (Barkeaters).
Moses Harris, Sr. and Moses Harris, Jr. are the central characters in the book. Legend has it that Moses Harris, Jr. is the son of Moses Harris, Sr. and the beautiful Leahona, who is part Indian, part French. Genealogy records indicate that he was the son of Moses Harris, Sr. and Dorothy West. The romance built around the characters, Leahona, Dorothy, Grace and Isabella, was the work of the author. (Historical fiction)
Moses Harris, Jr. was a spy for General Washington during the Revolutionary War. The information Harris furnished to General Schuyler and General Horatio Gates helped defeat the British at Saratoga. The battle of Saratoga was the turning point in the War for Independence. Many have speculated that Moses Harris, Jr. was the spy depicted in the book, The Spy, by James Fenimore Cooper.
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