Passion, Poison, and Pretense: The Murder of Hingham’s Postmaster

This book made history very accessible, and interesting. Those from Hingham will enjoy the local details included in this rather dramatic murder case, and even those from afar will find interesting nuggets as it relates to the Massachusetts judicial system in the 1800s.

Discovering this book was like finding a piece of treasure - as it turns out, Hosea Gardner and his wife are my 3X great-grandparents! It was quite a shock to discover a murderess in my family tree, but being able to read about this absolutely fascinating case gave me some insight into what living in the 1850's in Hingham was like and what my ancestors' lives were like. I immediately purchased copies for each of my siblings so they could get a glimpse into our past - something we'd certainly never heard from family stories (go figure).However, despite the amazing personal link to the subject matter, the book was, in and of itself, well researched and gives a fascinating look into police procedures and the study of criminality in the mid-1800's. I'm re-reading it for the 3rd time - it's that interesting :-).

I found it very interesting to read about how they investigated a death back then. Also, how the trial process worked was very different from today.

Such a great way to read about the history of Hingham! Each name brought a familiar piece of Hingham’s history to life!! I had no idea such case was part of Hingham’s story!