Amazing New Books on Richard Pearis and Jacob Hite by Larry Voreis
A Biographical Study Of Richard Pearis And Jacob Hite
Early Inhabitants Of Frederick County, Virginia And The Backcountry Of South Carolina by Larry M. Voreis
Book Review by Brandon Pettit, The Pettit Research Project.
For anyone interested in colonial American history, the French and Indian War, or the American Revolution and its aftermath, these two volumes of enthralling history by Larry Voreis will pull you in and not let you go until you have read your way through to the end.
Richard Pearis and Jacob Hite, the principal subjects, have their life stories made manifest like never before through the exhaustive research and story telling ability of the author. Speaking as someone who has also studied these men and who was familiar with Beverly Whitmere’s research, I can say with no reservations that Voreis’ work is unquestionably the most comprehensive and accurate telling of these characters’ lives ever to be penned.
Voreis is a top-notch historian. Though he is more than qualified to give his opinion, he scarcely has the need because the enumerable sources compiled and organized tell the intriguing yet unembellished story. Being personally familiar with a few obscure facts regarding Pearis and Hite, I read these books with careful scrutiny but found no inaccuracies. To the contrary, little tidbits of well hidden history were exposed and expounded upon with great care.
Readers will appreciate the author’s style. Voreis tells the story of these men following a chronological path while interlacing pertinent information about period history for context. Personal facts about their lives are rolled out alongside helpful reminders of what was going on in the world around them. These include interactions with other historical figures such as George Washington, various military leaders and government officials and numerous Cherokee tribal leaders. In supreme academic fashion, each fact statement is meticulously footnoted for easy source referencing and a full bibliography is given at the end of each volume. Furthermore, there are hundreds of direct quotes from letters, deeds, court documents, etc… Often the principal subjects’ own words are used to narrate their own life story.
Voreis is a masterful researcher, historian and writer. He has a unique gift for unearthing never-before seen source documents, making sense of them, and organizing them into a narrative that is gripping, captivating and at times, exhilarating.
Expect to walk away from this read with a deeper understanding of not only Richard Pearis and Jacob Hite, but also the entire misunderstood and oft forgotten world in which they lived. If you are interested in Virginia or South Carolina colonial or Revolutionary period history, the fine details of Indian trade and traders, the dark and dirty deeds of Loyalists and Patriots in the struggle for independence, and the ultimate fate of those who were exiled from the United States, I strongly recommend these books. This is easily the best thing I have read all year and I will be reading it again soon.
Thank you, Larry, for sharing the fruit of your hard work with the world.
For those interested in obtaining a copy of A Biographical Study Of Richard Pearis And Jacob Hite by Larry Voreis it can be purchased directly from the author. A link to the order form is provided below.
Click here to download the book order form.