The Fort Johnson Maid
Frances Dupont
Type: Beta project
Genre: Historical fiction
Word count: 103,000
Ambitious farm girl Dodi Werner indentures herself to the family of the wealthy British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in order to earn a dowry. She is challenged to adapt to life at the heart of power in the Mohawk Valley while staying true to her own values. Biographical historic fiction based on my fifth great grandmother.
Dodi Werner leaves her simple Palatine German family in Schoharie New York and goes to work as an indentured nursery maid for Polly, the wealthy daughter of Sir William Johnson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Raised as a foster child, her intention is to earn a dowry that would have young farmers competing for her hand. Living in the crowded Fort Johnson mansion, home to two married sisters, their husbands, their handsome brother John, and the slaves who wait on them all.
Dodi become Dottie, improves her English, adapts to new customs, and eavesdrops on the powerful rulers of the Mohawk Valley. Through her eyes we see the lives of the women in one of the least known but most important families in colonial New York. As she prepares to follow Polly to a new mansion on the Mohawk Dottie realizes how much she has changed and that finding a suitable husband will be harder than she thought.
Frances Dupont is a retired scientist, teacher, traveler, bird watcher, lover of history, and amateur genealogist. She has researched ion pumps in plant membranes and the complex protein structure of wheat gluten, and taught biology in Africa and Alaska. As a writer, she is researching and exploring the untold stories of her female ancestors.
We have closed registrations early for this project due to high demand.
Only beta team members can give feedback.