Book in Progress

Made to Last Forever

The tiny ship lists in the gale as it escaped the protective channel of an oppressive England in early 1600s. The intuitive, introspective Jonathan Fairbanks, takes his sons to the top deck to looked back on a strip of gray land across the beryl waters. A land they will never see again. Fairbanks uprooted his family of eight to provide them a better future.

Jonathan beaconed to John Prescott, his restless blacksmith friend, to follow his young family to the new world. Both men sought the promised religious freedom, peace, and property that was not available in England. The trips were perilous. They felt it in the uncertainty of the small craft on the expansive sea. There was no way of knowing the sacrifices they would endure to provide security for themselves and their heirs.

In traditional fashion, Jonathan settled in Dedham, Massachusetts Bay Colony, among like-minded families who established an exemplary town through common minds and goals. His acceptance required a unanimous vote by all the proprietors in the village. It didn’t come without trepidation.

We watch as Jonathan struggles first with perceived rejection by his own father and then with securing his family in the New World. Grace, his wife, fought bad superstitions, doubts, and uncertainty to sustain the family. Just a Jonathans sees, security in site, Jonas, his third son, having ambitions of his own, strives to follow his own life’s path. Which takes him to Hammersmith Ironworks and a new wilderness town where he can marry for love.

Lives were lost in Dedham and new lives were brought into the Fairbanks family. Freedom and prosperity came at a price.

The book is based on documented facts about the Fairbanks and Prescott families, the early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Dedham, and Lancaster. In 1637, Jonathan Fairbanks built the oldest frame house still standing in North America.

John Prescott became known as the “Father of Lancaster.” These two families united through the love and offspring of their children. They were significant in shaping and protecting our nation as common people doing uncommon things. 

Made to Last Forever is published and the sale date is set for October 1, 2025. In the blog, you will receive glimpses into the book which will help you understand the 17th century life, the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Dedham, and the Fairbanks family. These glimpses will increase your enjoyment as you read their story in Made to Last Forever: A Family. A House. A Nation. Sign up for monthly notifications of blogs, so you’ll be among the first to know when and where the book is available.