Walking in My Nana’s Footsteps

Old Spring House "1836", Parkesburg, PA

When I began writing The Philadelphia Matriarch, I knew it couldn’t just be a story on paper—it had to be a journey back into the places my Nana, Florence, once knew. Although the novel is historical fiction, much of it is drawn from real family memories, landmarks, and stories passed down through the generations. My research trips became as much about rediscovering my roots as about building a world for readers.

I describe in the book, on two occasions, passing by an old springhouse etched with the date 1836 across its stone face. That springhouse was real. I remember driving along the backroads of Lancaster County, trying to see the countryside as Florence might have seen it, grateful for the few photographs I captured along the way. They helped me preserve the mood of those quiet drives and weave it into the novel. The last time I passed by, the building looked worn with age—perhaps no longer standing now—yet in my story, it endures as a touchstone of history.

My uncle once sketched a map of the farm from his own boyhood visits. His simple pencil lines became another anchor for me, connecting our family’s memories to the pages of the book.

And then there was Parkesburg—the small town that Florence knew so well. Walking and driving past its shops, hotel, and park, I felt time bend just slightly, as though I could glimpse what she once saw. These impressions gave me the framework to recreate the world of the early 1900s, grounding Florence’s story in a setting readers could step into alongside her.

Writing this book was never just about imagination—it was about honoring memory. It was about blending the places that still exist with the ones that have faded, so that Florence’s resilience, love, and legacy could live on. The Philadelphia Matriarch is my way of ensuring that these stories are not forgotten but carried forward, generation to generation.