Research

Lane Dolly did years of on-the-road investigation and genealogical research, using such sources as historical journals, old city directories, microfiche news articles, Ancestry.com census data, and nearly-lost obituaries. Her work in Massachusetts at Harvard and Amherst, at the Library in Congress and National Archives in Washington, DC, as well as libraries in Tulsa and Tahlequah, OK led to the creation of the timeline and cast of characters in her historical fiction series, Through Fire and Faith: an American Saga. Two books, A Distant Call: The Fateful Choices of Hattie Sheldon and No Turning Back: The Harrowing Journeys of Hattie Sheldon, are now available from Amazon.

1. Characters: Hattie Sheldon, her family, the Worcester family, and other characters
2. Places and Politics: Hattie’s home in Utica, NY and the Underground Railroad
   • History in the 19th century: The Fugitive Slave act, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and Indian Removals
   • Education in the 19th Century: Amherst Academy and the Utica Female Academy
3. The Sheldon Family: More about Hattie’s forebears
4. The Worcester Family: The Worcester Family and the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
5. The Latta Family
6. Indian Territory: the George M. Murrell Historic Home, and the Cherokee Female Seminary
7. Historical Fiction
8. Historical Photos