RANGELEY — Storyteller Jude Lamb will present a first person interpretation, “Women Were Pioneers, Too!,” at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 22, at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Episcopal Church, 2614 Main St. This event is sponsored and hosted by the Rangeley Lakes Region Historical Society. It is free and open to the public.

Jude’s portrayal of her great-great-great-great grandmother, Eunice Lakeman Hoar, is created from a lifetime of hearing the family story, and years of research and study in genealogy, history and the society of the early 19th century.

The family of Luther and Eunice Lakeman Hoar was the first white family to settle on what is now called Rangeley Lake. As is true of American history, the story is traditionally told from the male point of view with Luther as the heroic pioneer. Jude’s investigation begs the question of how the story might differ if told through the eyes of a woman. Luther was indeed a pioneer, settling in the Maine wilderness. But, he could not have taken nine children, including a baby and toddlers, on that journey without the help, direction and partnership of a strong woman.

Eunice, given voice, will tell of the family’s dramatic 18-mile walk over late spring snow, from the Madrid/Avon area to what is now called Rangeley Lake. Not only did they travel over snow, but climbed as much as 1000 feet in elevational rise.

Jude Lamb is an artist, writer and storyteller. Her life’s focus is “word and image.” She has a degree in human ecology from College of the Atlantic. As Lamb family historian and genealogist, her goal is to bring alive the family stories and inspire others to do so in creative forms. She lives in an old farmhouse in Lamoine with her husband, Rob Collins, an Australian shepherd named Maddie, and Jack, a Maine coon cat.

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