About the Book:

Taking place at the turn of the 18th century in Ayrshire, Scotland, The Journey illustrates how the passage of the Scots Education Act of 1693 vaulted Scotland out of its long-standing feudal society and into the modern world. This story is not a discourse on education; it is a compelling narrative showing how access to education profoundly altered a young man’s future.

This young man's education was made possible by a loving mother’s deathbed wish and a doubting father who reluctantly honored that wish. His education was fostered by four men of wisdom and generosity who saw the future in the lad and were willing to invest more than an encouraging word and a pat on the back.

Each of these four men were cut from a different cloth yet stitched in the same pattern. Each supported the lad in a different way but with the same outcome in mind. These loving and farsighted people not only changed the life of one young man, but in doing so, altered the lives of many others.

About the Author:

Art Hamill is of Ulster Scots ancestry. Upon his retirement, he began to research his heritage and soon found himself totally engaged in discovering his ancestors. In the process, it became obvious that names, dates and places were not enough. In order to gain a better understanding of his heritage, he began to research and develop the historical context that shaped their lives.

Art has published two historical novels dealing with his ancestors living in Antrim, Ulster during the period 1750 to 1850. The Journey began to take shape as he pushed his research further back in time to Ayrshire, Scotland in the late 17th century.