History can be exciting and fun. This book proves it. Imagine a dangerous ocean crossing, a shipwreck in which few survive. Join the hunt for clues to solve a criminal mystery. Watch as the husband, wife, and their small children, housed together in prison, struggle to survive. A real-life treasure hunt for valuable coins causes a frenzy. It's all here in this amazing but true story. Colorful illustrations bring it all to life. The reader becomes an eyewitness.
Who was Peter Gilkey? Some will say he was that counterfeiter who lived before Prospect, Connecticut was a town. But he was far more than just a counterfeiter.
The reader will follow Peter Gilkey's journey from his boyhood in Northern Ireland and then across the Atlantic in a perilous voyage to America. As he grew to a young man, he served in two military conflicts, survived a shipwreck going to Cuba, and settled into family life as a husband and father while working as a cobbler. But then came the counterfeiting of milled Spanish dollars, which changed his life forever.
If Prospect was not yet Prospect, then where did he live? Five towns in Connecticut could rightly lay claim to him: Milford, Wallingford, Cheshire, Waterbury, and now Prospect. His family settled in Milford when he was a boy. Then, as a young man, he made his mark in Wallingford, which later became Cheshire. In another few years, he became infamous in Waterbury. After his death, Prospect was incorporated. It absorbed the parts of Wallingford, Cheshire, and Waterbury where Peter Gilkey spent a considerable portion of his life. Prospect can now claim him for all time.
Significant progress has been made in the past few decades in researching the genealogy of Peter Gilkey's family. In the past, we only knew about the middle of his life. Now we have a much more complete picture. We have a beginning, and we have an end.
We encourage the reader to look for clues throughout this book that could potentially answer some questions. A decent history book will provide facts about what, when, where, and who. This book aims to enhance the reader's comprehension of the reasons behind Peter Gilkey's actions. Why did Peter Gilkey do what he did? Readers may also want to focus on identifying the individuals who served as everyday heroes in this drama. Some may be obvious; others not so much. Hint: One was a person with special needs. Finally, think about the victims. Who were they? The intention of this book is not to answer all of these questions. We will leave that to the readers.
