Dr. Sarah Crabtree will give an illustrated talk on Tuesday, January 6th at 4:30pm addressing the themes in her upcoming book, Quaker, Whaler, Traitor, Spy! The Trails of William Rotch. The talk, Unraveling the Revolutionary Journey of William Rotch Sr., will take place inside the Rotch-Jones-Duff House museum parlors, 396 County St., NB, and is free to the public.
This program is a part of the museum’s 250th events and related exhibition of the graphic novel, which is currently on display at the RJD. Dr. Sarah Crabtree is a Professor of History at San Francisco State University and Quaker, Whaler, Traitor, Spy! (PSUP, March 2026) is her second book. She is also the author of several journal articles and the recipient of several fellowships. William Rotch Sr. is a significant figure in New Bedford history and the father of the RJD’s namesake. Dr. Crabtree demonstrates a singular and invaluable knowledge on his life and contributions to the area.
About Quaker, Whaler, Traitor, Spy! The Trials of William Rotch: Accused of treason four times by three governments in two revolutionary decades (1775 – 1795), William Rotch suffered from the “with-us-or-against-us” political landscape of the late eighteenth century. A Quaker, he opposed wars for independence and empire. Yet he downplayed and even withheld key details from his story, a second narrative that began with the Boston Tea Party, stretched across the world, and made him one of the wealthiest men in America.
This talk and its related exhibition has been funded by Eastern National, a non-profit partner of the National Park Service. For more information, contact Lauren Pothier at lpothier@rjdmuseum.org or call the museum at (508) 997-1401.
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