OVF&HA Reading Series 2026

Title: 

From Turtle Island to Independence Hall: 

America’s Fight for “Liberty and Justice for All.”

Books:

1. The Oneida Creation Story by Demus Elm and Harvey Antone

2. Daniel Shay’s Honorable Rebellion by Daniel Bullen

3. My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

Books are limited - Reserve a set of books now

Contact Michael Foor-Pessin 

on Instant Messenger,  Facebook, email foorpessin@gmail.com, or (315)653-7811 

First-come, first-served until gone.

1. Kickoff Event: Otselic Valley Public Library, July 14th, at 6:00pm 

Books will be handed out, and Brian Lee, from the Four Counties Library System, will do a workshop on how to do ancestry searches using several different databases. Participants will be encouraged to conduct and share the results of their genealogical searches, especially searches that locate Revolutionary War soldiers.

2. Second Session: Methodist Church, South Otselic, August 28th at 7:00pm. 

Author Daniel Bullen will discuss Shay’s Rebellion and the process of writing his book.

3. Final Session: Loomis Barn, on the campus of the Chenango County History Museum, October 10th, from 10:00 to 12:00. 

Oneida Indian Nation expert and elder, Ron Patterson, will tell the Oneida Creation story. ***Polly Cooper commemorative coins will be distributed. 

*** Reading Incentive: Participants who read all three books in the series will be gifted a 2026 Commemorative 1$ Polly Copper coin, which features Cooper’s journey to Valley Forge to instruct the Continental Army on how to prepare and cook Indian corn. These coins will be awarded at the October 10th meeting. The Oneida Indian Nation were America’s first allies in the Revolutionary War.

Field Trips:

Two field trips are being planned. The dates and times will be announced shortly.  

The first trip is to Hamilton College to view the Grace Brown collection, including her famous love letters, and the journals and personal items of Samuel Kirkland, an early and important missionary to the Oneida Indian Nation and the founder of the college. We will also tour the cemetery where Kirkland and Chief Shenandoah are buried together. The second trip is the final leg of our three-part journey through the Eastern section of the Mohawk Valley.  Specific stops to be announced later.