The Royal Family of Concord

About the Book

The Royal Family of Concord chronicles the lives of the most important family in nineteenth century Concord. Squire Samuel Hoar was a lawyer and congressman; he and his son were founders of the anti-slavery Republican Party in Massachusetts. Rockwood Hoar was a judge, US Attorney General under Grant, and a congressman. His daughter, Elizabeth, was engaged to Charles, the brilliant younger brother of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who tragically died just before they were to wed. She became the “sister,” assistant, and muse to Waldo and a close friend of many in the Transcendental circle, especially Margaret Fuller.

About the Author

Paula Ivaska Robbins is in her fifth career, as a freelance medical editor. After early retirement from a position as a university dean, she led a walking tour from her home in historic Concord, Massachusetts past the homes of the Hoar family and became fascinated by their story. She holds degrees from Vassar College, Boston University, and the University of Connecticut and now lives in Asheville, North Carolina. She is the author of three other books in addition to The Royal Family of Concord: Samuel, Elizabeth, and Rockwood Hoar and Their Friendship with Ralph Waldo Emerson: Successful Midlife Career Change (AMACOM, 1978) and two historical novels based on the lives of her Finnish grandmothers.