My grandmother copied a journal which her grandparents had composed in 1892. In it I found the story of the Lovells, John the Master of the Boston Latin School and his son James, the Usher or teacher at the School. When conflicts with the British became a central focus for those in the colonies, John sided with the British, holding Tory beliefs, and James agreed with the Patriots, choosing to actively help his country.
I discovered not only that James Lovell was a great-great-grandfather, but that his story was a fascinating one, of patriotism, courage, and love for family and country.
A Page from Grandmother's Journal
QUESTIONS LED TO RESEARCH, WRITING
THE REMARKABLE CAUSE: A NOVEL OF JAMES LOVELL AND THE CRUCIBLE OF THE REVOLUTION
When James Lovell becomes a teacher at the Boston Latin School alongside his father, he realizes he will never agree with his father’s views about the growing British and American conflict. James desperately wants to help the American cause, but when he is arrested for spying, alone in a dark, cold cell of the Boston Stone Jail, his dreams seem a faint illusion.
​In icy March winds, pounded by the Americans’ cannon, General Howe evacuates British troops and Loyalists from Boston. James is forced into a ship bound for Halifax, while his father and family take passage for the British stronghold in the ship’s upper berth. In jail in Halifax, James can only write letters and pray for release, hoping General George Washington will hear his appeal
