Salt Lantern
“Using barns, houses, fences, and orchards as his guides and humble, intimate possessions as his clues, William Morgan has searched for the history, meaning, and substance of an American family from its European roots to its Midwest fruition. A fascinating odyssey.”—Faith Sullivan, author of The Cape Ann and The Empress of One
“In this remarkable personal and family history, Morgan reminds us of the importance and omnipresence of artifacts in shaping our daily lives and our perceptions of the past. Salt Lantern should be required reading for anyone interested in researching family and community history.”—Richard V. Francaviglia, author of Main Street Revisited
“Everyone interested in family history, genealogy, and material culture will want to read this book. The author's felicitous writing style adds to its luster.”—North Dakota History
As a child growing up in Pipestone, Minnesota, in the 1930s, William Morgan marveled over his great-grandmother's salt-filled chimney lantern. Full of sea salt and mementos and drawings that commemorated her British home and her journey to America in 1855, this Victorian artifact became the inspiration both for Morgan's pilgrimage to find the original salt lantern and, after many journeys both external and internal, for this multifaceted family history.
Morgan began his research by visiting England and Scotland, then traveled to Vermont, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and North Dakota searching for the buildings and landscapes related to his mother's ancestors. Tracing his father's family took him to Ireland, where he discovered the thatched-roof house in which his grandmother was born. By studying his family's houses, farm buildings, landforms, letters, and heirlooms, Bill Morgan tells the stories of his ancestors' lives. By adding fresh memories written by his sister and brothers as well as journals and other family documents, he builds upon these stories to create a full life of an American family.