A review by laurieb755
Merchant Trader by Peter M. Fellows

adventurous informative lighthearted medium-paced

3.25

review for Merchant Trader by Peter Fellows, amateur historian and President of the Mamaroneck Historical Society. (https://www.mamaroneckhistoricalsociety.org/) 

 

We have lived in Mamaroneck, NY for the past 39 years, raised our children here and grown very comfortable in this walkable Village. I was delighted to learn of this book by Peter Fellows that documents - quite literally the story of John Richbell, the man credited with beginning Mamaroneck. 

 

Along the way we learn the history not only of Mamaroneck but a bit about  Larchmont, New Rochelle, Scarsdale and Rye history coupled with Connecticut, the British and the Dutch. This story begins in the late 1650s, truly a long time ago! 

 

Peter Fellows introduces himself with “Don’t believe a word I wrote. Please. I am not a historian. I live in Mamaroneck, and I am insatiably curious about our daily history.” Not only is he an amateur historian, he is also President of the Mamaroneck Historical Society (https://www.mamaroneckhistoricalsociety.org/) 

 

Fellows pieces together as best he can the chronological history of the founding of Mamaroneck. To aid him in this endeavor he has multiple original source documents, some which are replicated in the book. In addition he provides verbatim (and in the olde style of English and Dutch) deeds and other documents. At the beginning I found these fascinating to read, but given how many are included I began to tire of the differences in language and preferred to simply go with Peter’s narrative. 

 

I quite enjoyed his folksy approach, presenting facts as he uncovered them, posing questions when there was insufficient information, and challenging the reader to wonder for themselves might have been taking place way back when. I also greatly enjoyed seeing the various maps but given how small they are it necessitated using a magnifying glass! I have it on my mental checklist to eventually see if it is possible to view the maps in larger size. 

 

If you enjoy local history and live in Westchester County, NY, or are interested in getting into the nitty gritty of English and Dutch ‘ownership’ of portions of New York and Connecticut, this book might interest you. Indeed, if you are considering being a local amateur historian for your own neighborhood the approach taken by Petter Fellows might inspire a unique approach of your own!