William, the Patriarch: Book One of The Watertown Chronicles - Paperback

by Nancy Shattuck (Author)

William, The Patriarch is a richly researched historical novel set in seventeenth-century New England, following the life of William Sherborn, a Puritan immigrant and founding patriarch of an early colonial family. Drawing from documented history and personal genealogy, the novel re-imagines the struggles, faith, and moral conflicts of settlers living on the edge of the American frontier.

As Watertown, Massachusetts grows amid religious rigidity, political power, and rising tensions with Indigenous peoples, William navigates his responsibilities as husband, father, landholder, and civic leader. His life unfolds during a turbulent period leading toward King Philip's War, revealing how private family decisions intersect with larger historical forces.

Through vivid detail and layered storytelling, the novel explores Puritan beliefs, community governance, family loyalty, and cultural collision. It presents a nuanced portrait of colonial life-its discipline, devotion, and contradictions-while honoring the voices often left out of early American history.