Murder. Intrigue. Tragedy. This is a little known book, but it is the true story of a branch of Thomas Jefferson's family which moved to frontier Kentucky at about the turn of the 19th Century, 200 years ago. The book is a marvelous exposition of late 18th Century plantation life in Virginia, of the sort that Jefferson and his peers enjoyed. But a branch of Jefferson's family fell into deep debt and sought to rebuild their fortunes on the frontier. The story of their travel with furniture and household goods to Kentucky is fascinating, and even more fascinating is the story of what happened once they got there. Suffice to say that a horrendous murder took place. Its backdrop was the devastating earthquake of 1812 which actually caused the Mississippi River to run backward. The earthquake also revealed the murder in a most bizarre manner. Tragedy ensues on a lonesome Kentucky hilltop with two men killing each other It's all true. A friend of mine found the hilltop and the graves during a recent summer vacation. Thomas Jefferson was alive during this period and must have known about the horrible crime his relatives committed. A real page-turner of a book. Compelling picture of early frontier life in the wilderness by an author (now deceased) who lived in the immediate neighborhood where this story takes place. Too bad it's out of print. If you get a copy, hang on to it.

Boynton Merrill, Jr.'s book Jefferson's Nephews: A Frontier Tragedy is a compelling story about the Lewis family and their move from Virginia gentry to the hard forntier life of Western Kentucky. This story is engaging and a real page turner, not only from the historical stand point, but a powerfull story as well. This book has all of the components of a real life Greek tragedy set in Kentucky in the early 1800's.

The author gives us a real look into life in early Kentucky frontier and the society with social status of the time. Fraught with hardness of life and little pleasures, families seemed destined for struggle.

Lilburne and Isham Lewis are brothers and are the nephews of the President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, but even at that the Lewis's life still takes a downfall as mounting debt and land disputes keeps the family desperate and in moral decline.

Now, a black slave of Lilburn's is murdered, and the tale that ensues is very compelling. The reconstruction of the crime as told in the book is excellent, aborbing, and tragic. I found the book to be impressive, and historically correct. The scholarship is of first quality and is eminently readable.

A book worth reading more than once... audacious, and fascinating with real life characters... better than fiction.