The Lady Knox Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Rockland Public Library present Mary Kelly, Thursday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m. Kelly will offer a history talk based on the chapter's newly published non-fiction book, Fighting for Freedom, Fighting for Survival, which recounts Midcoast Maine history told through the lives of real people interred in Tolman Cemetery in Rockland, Maine.

Local patriots of the American Revolution served from Lexington to Long Island, Quebec City to Saratoga. In the War of 1812, sons battled trade wars, smugglers, and privateers with firefights in Rockland Harbor and a standoff in Camden. These men come to life through details of their families, community, and occupations. Their biographies are portals to the past when early pioneers fought the British and nature.

The book forms a framework for understanding the settlement and growth of Thomaston, Rockland, and Rockport. Hyper-local history underscores how the lives, families, and stories are interwoven as they built homes in a wilderness while facing challenges of two wars of independence.

This program will take place in the Community Room and will be livestreamed via Zoom. For more information or for Zoom links, please email elewis@rocklandmaine.gov.