Searching for Mayflowers

The True Story of Canada's First Quintuplets

You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Nov 05 2024 | Archive Date Nov 13 2024

Talking about this book? Use #SearchingforMayflowers #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

A captivating, never-before-told true story following one woman’s quest to unravel the 140-plus-year-old mystery of the first set of quintuplets born in Canada, weaving together history, intrigue, and a complicated family legacy.

On a blustery night in Little Egypt, NS, in the winter of 1880, a humble farmer named Maria Murray gave birth to five tiny but otherwise perfect babies—quintuplets.

The local townsfolk flocked to witness the miracle for themselves. Sadly, four of the infants died soon after birth. A photographer took a picture of the bodies placed next to their living sister. On the third day, the fifth baby passed away.

 In the late nineteenth century, “curiosities” such as quintuplets were in high demand as entertainment. Circus showman P. T. Barnum sent a telegram asking if he could purchase the dead babies. The family declined, and, fearing grave robbers, dug the bodies up from the local cemetery and buried them in the basement of their home. Three months later, they exhumed them once again and buried them in a secret location.

When author Lori McKay’s grandmother told her the story of the Murray quintuplets, McKay was enthralled. The best part: her great-great-grandmother had delivered the babies, although newspaper accounts credited a doctor with the delivery.

Featuring never-before-seen photos, Searching for Mayflowers is the captivating story of McKay’s quest to unravel this 140-plus-year-old family mystery, weaving together history, intrigue, and a complicated family legacy.

Lori McKay holds a journalism degree and an MFA in Creative Non-fiction from the University of King’s College. She worked as a magazine and newspaper editor for more than twenty years, and loves writing about homes, lifestyle, history, and local mysteries. Lori lives in Dartmouth, NS, with her husband, two young adult children, a few cats, and a friendly black lab. Searching for Mayflowers: The True Story of Canada’s First Quintuplets is her first book.

A captivating, never-before-told true story following one woman’s quest to unravel the 140-plus-year-old mystery of the first set of quintuplets born in Canada, weaving together history, intrigue...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781774713303
PRICE CA$23.95 (CAD)
PAGES 264

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Download (PDF)