| The Women of the House: How a Colonial She-Merchant Built a Mansion, a Fortune, and a Dynasty Contributor(s): Zimmerman, Jean (Author) |
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ISBN: 0156032244 ISBN-13: 9780156032247 Publisher: Mariner Books OUR PRICE: $23.74 Product Type: Paperback Published: August 2007 Annotation: "A tale of the American dream with a feminist twist."--""Library Journal"" Brash and ambitious, twenty-two-year old Margaret Hardenbroeck Philipse arrived in Manhattan and promptly built an empire of trading ships, furs, and real estate--including all of today's Westchester County. She became the wealthiest woman on the Hudson while raising five children and keeping a spotless linen closet. And she did all this in 1659. Here is the captivating story of a dynasty of powerful, courageous women and the house they built from storehouse to mansion. "Lively and informative . . . with extraordinary research and energetic writing."--"BookPage " JEAN ZIMMERMAN is the author of four books, including ""Made from Scratch: Reclaiming the Pleasures of the American Hearth. ""She lives just north of Philipse Manor Hall in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Historical - History | United States - Colonial Period (1600-1775) - History | United States - State & Local - Middle Atlantic (dc, De, Md, Nj, Ny, Pa) |
| Dewey: B |
| Physical Information: 0.74" H x 5.36" W x 7.96" (0.90 lbs) 400 pages |
| Themes: - Sex & Gender - Feminine |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The remarkable Margaret Hardenbroeck Philipse arrived in New Amsterdam from Holland in 1659, a brash and ambitious twenty-two-year-old bent on making her way in the New World. She promptly built an empire of trading ships, furs, and real estate that included all of Westchester County. The Dutch called such women she-merchants, and Margaret became the wealthiest in the colony, while raising five children and keeping a spotless linen closet. Zimmerman deftly traces the astonishing rise of Margaret and the Philipse women who followed her, who would transform Margaret's storehouse on the banks of the Hudson into a veritable mansion, Philipse Manor Hall. The last Philipse to live there, Mary Philipse Morris--the It-girl of mid-1700s New York--was even courted by George Washington. But privilege couldn't shelter the family from the Revolution, which raged on Mary's doorstep. Mining extensive primary sources, Zimmerman brings us into the parlors, bedrooms, countinghouses, and parties of early colonial America and vividly restores a forgotten group of women to life. |
Contributor Bio(s): Zimmerman, Jean: - Jean Zimmerman is the author of four previous books, including The Women of the House: How a Colonial She-Merchant Built a Mansion, a Fortune and a Dynasty. She earned an MFA in writing from the Columbia University School of the Arts and has published her poetry widely in literary magazines. She lives with her family in Westchester County, New York. |
