Blog Archives

George Washington was many things to many people; a celebrated war hero… the first president of our nation… a surrogate father… In his young reader’s book, “My Dear General – The Extraordinary Relationship between George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette,” author Jeffrey E. Finegan brings this last aspect to life through richly detailed descriptions and research.

Told from the perspective of the Marquis de Lafayette, “My Dear General” reveals the meteoric father-son relationship forged between Washington and the young French aristocrat who traveled from France to fight at his side during the American Revolution.  Orphaned at a young age, Lafayette finds fatherly qualities in stately Virginian, while the reverse is true for a childless George Washington.  The camps of the Continental Army and battlefields of the Revolutionary War are witness to the development of one of the most incredible relationships in history.

“My Dear General” joins Finegan’s two previous works to complete a three-part series entitled “I Knew George Washington.”  Each of the books looks at the life of Washington through the perspective of historic figures who were closely associated with him, thereby presenting a unique way to understand the father of our nation.

Biography:

Jeffrey E. Finegan Sr. is a 1982 graduate of Seton Hall University with a Bachelors degree in broadcast communication. A native of New Jersey, his interest in history spans from the Norman Conquest of England to World War Two with a concentration in George Washington, the American Civil War and historic architecture. He resides in the historic village of Finesville, New Jersey, with his wife, Kimberly Ollio Finegan and two sons, Jeffrey E. Jr. and Peter J. Finegan. The creator of the “I knew George Washington” Series, he is a member of the Washington Association of New Jersey, the American Friends of Lafayette, and is an honorary member of the Association of the United States Army.

Finegan has conducted lectures and book signings at Colonial Williamsburg, National Historic Parks at Valley Forge, Morristown Saratoga, and Yorktown, as well as the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, and  Washington Crossing, just to name a few.

This lecture will take place in the Rock Ford Barn. Reservations are not required, but seating is limited.

Admission: $5 for non-members and free for members of the Rock Ford Foundation (upon showing valid membership ID card)