Windows into Shelter Island’s past
Sometimes a delicious snack is preferable to a full meal.
That’s something Patricia and Edward Shillingburg knew when they released their three volumes of “Dering Letters” early this year.
With all the colorful and intriguing stories contained in the letters compiled in the original volumes, the Shillingburgs wanted to make the Dering family history intertwined with Shelter Island history available in what Ms. Shillingburg described as “small packages.”
Accordingly, the couple have now put out two small volumes — “Six Lives” and “Nine Lives” selected from the original books.
“Six Lives” offers short stories of six prime characters.
At the center is Hepzi Small Edwards, a fascinating figure who Ms. Shillingburg refers to as “the darling of the family.” There were 44 letters that Hepzi wrote, out of the 762 letters contained in the original volumes. Hepzi’s missives are filled with gossip and her sharp humor, including a comical encounter she had with a horse.
Other letters were written by Thomas Dering who “suffered a fire that wiped out a third of Boston,” Ms. Shillingburg said.
Another figure coming alive form the past is Abigail Chesebrough, “an American princess full of promise,” who was “a victim of greed,” Ms. Shillingburg said.
The others whose writing is contained in “Six Lives” are Anna Green Winslow, Sarah Dering Thomas and Charles Storer.
In 100 pages, the book offers a wide array of life experiences with wit, humor and depth.
“Nine Lives” is 144 pages, telling stories of young people in her family. The Shillingburgs refer to them as “first citizens” since all were born after the Revolution.
They include letters from Abraham Tuthill describing George Washington’s funeral in December 1799. Other letters are from two Huntington sisters posted from Rome, New York, who had strong ties to the Island and Charles Thomas Dering, who invested in a whaling ship with an unexpected partner.
Each of the books, priced at $20 apiece, are for sale at the Shelter Island Historical Society and will be available before the new year on Amazon.com.
