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Book Signing – Hart/Hawkins

Muhlenberg County Public Libraries is excited to welcome two talented authors to Thistle Cottage for a book signing on Oct. 18 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Dr. Donna J. Burden Hart, author of the new genealogy text The Descendants of Owen Dogharty of Ireland, will visit Thistle Cottage to present her work, along with popular author and publisher Linda J. Hawkins.

Hart grew up in south-central Illinois, but both of her parents hail from Kentucky. When Hart discovered by coincidence in 1985 that her parents had a common ancestor somewhere in their families, she became interested in finding out more. Hart said, ā€œBy the time I finally found William Phelps, nine generations back, I was simply ā€˜hookedā€™ on genealogy.ā€ She delved into her ancestry with a passion, and by 2006 she had decided to focus on the Irish Daugherty family. Somewhere along the way, she decided to put her findings into book form. After 10 years of grueling but exciting research, Hart said, the book is finally complete and ready for public consumption.

ā€œThe day the books arrived by UPS, on three large flats that had to be unloaded into my garage by forklifts, was a day that I was both excited and relieved,ā€ Hart laughed. ā€œAnd exhausted.ā€

Hartā€™s book uses names, pictures, charts, maps and stories to trace the descendants of Owen Dogharty (later spelled Daugherty or Daughety) from Ireland to Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and across the rest of the United States. Other families come into the book later as they married into the Daugherty family, including Abney, Beasley, Burden, Davis, Embry, Evans, Flener, Kessinger, Morris, Pharris, Phelps, Smith, Snodgrass, Taylor and more. The Daughertys of Butler County (Hartā€™s fatherā€™s home county) are the focus, but the family also moved into surrounding counties, including Breckinridge, Daviess, Grayson, Logan, McLean, Muhlenberg, Ohio and Warren Counties.

The Descendants of Owen Dogharty of Ireland contains hundreds of pictures and a wealth of information about the families included. It is a large-format , 10 by 12 inch leatherbound book of 1176 pages.

During the event at Thistle Cottage, Hart will discuss her work with visitors and will be available to answer questions as well as to sign copies of the book.

Hart will be joined at Thistle Cottage by Butler County-based author and founder of Heart to Heart Publishing Linda J. Hawkins. Hawkins is well-known and respected for her works, which include childrenā€™s books (Alexander and the Great Food Fight, Alexander and the Great Vegetable Feud and more) as well as Catering to Children with Recipes for Memorable Tea Parties, The Unspoken Language of Fans & Flowers with Recipes and cookbook Southern Seasons. Hawkins regularly presents her work at events around the country. She will also be available to sign her books during the event on Oct. 18.

For more information about the book signing, contact Muhlenberg County Public Libraries at 270-338-4760.

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