Gervais-Laurence Book Project
Thanks for your interest in my forthcoming book!
This joint biography of Red River and Minnesota settlers Benjamin Gervais and Genevieve Laurence is an epic tale of harrowing journeys, untimely deaths, failed business ventures, unlikely love affairs, calamitous natural disasters, political intrigue, and corruption that spans the North American continent. It is a true story of the American West that challenges historical scholarship but reads like a novel.
Explore this website to learn more about the story, get updates on my research and writing progress, and (if you choose) help get the book across the finish line.
Saint Paul, about 1848, by Henry Lewis
A Team Effort
All works of scholarship build on generations of prior research and interpretation. They depend on the unheralded labor of hundreds of archivists and librarians. They benefit greatly from review and critique by contemporary scholars. And they require significant time and financial resources to come to fruition.
As I dedicate my time to completing the research and tackling the thousands of words of writing that lay ahead of me, I appreciate the financial support, intellectual assistance, and/or all-around enthusiasm I've received from the following organizations and individuals:
Gervais and Laurence family descendants
The Little Canada Historical Society
The French-American Heritage Foundation
Dr. Carolyn Podruchny, Professor of History at York University; author of Making the Voyageur World: Travelers and Traders in the North American Fur Trade
David Vermette, independent scholar; author of A Distinct Alien Race: The Untold Story of Franco-Americans
Dr. Jeremy Kingsbury, Teaching Assistant Professor of History and American Indian Studies at The University of North Dakota; author of PhD diss. Ozaawindib’s World: Ojibwe Family, Gender, Warfare and Politics: 1748-1826
Dr. Colin M. Coates, Professor of Canadian Studies at Glendon College, York University; author of The Metamorphoses of Landscape and Community in Early Quebec
