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Pauper Auction
A gorgeous and meticulously-researched historical fiction examining a young woman’s struggle to escape unexpected poverty and find autonomy and purpose in early New England.
Mankind are always seeking after happiness in some way or another.
~ Leavitt’s Farmer’s Almanac, 1805
The fall from beloved wife of the town blacksmith to widowed pauper was swift. Margery Turner sits in the Thorneboro, New Hampshire Meetinghouse on the second Tuesday of March, 1805. She and the other indigent town residents wait their turn to be auctioned out to the lowest bidder who will accept the paupers into their homes in return for town funds. The young widow and an abandoned child named Agnes find themselves taken in by farmer and ciderist Samuell Wheeler and his elderly mother, renowned bed rug maker Hannah Wheeler. Margery swears to herself that she will not forever remain a pauper in purse or purpose.
Secrets and sorrows live on the prosperous farm. An itinerant Abenaki stonemason, Sozap Wzôkhilain, known as Joseph, joins the household and touches each of their lives in unexpected ways. The farm is the setting for danger and tragedy as well as simple joys and blossoming love. In Pauper Auction, strangers become friends, confidantes, and lovers. Tragedy becomes hope, and a family of the heart help each other find their futures, together and apart.
Rich and atmospheric period description and a strong sense of New England enhance this immersive narrative. Meticulously researched details of early 19th century foodways, and the crafts of blacksmithing, traditional stone wall building, needlework, hearth cooking, and hard cider-making bring Margery’s world to life. The novel is a perfect bookclub pick with themes that transcend time. A significant Afterword and Discussion Questions are included in the book.
Mankind are always seeking after happiness in some way or another.
~ Leavitt’s Farmer’s Almanac, 1805
The fall from beloved wife of the town blacksmith to widowed pauper was swift. Margery Turner sits in the Thorneboro, New Hampshire Meetinghouse on the second Tuesday of March, 1805. She and the other indigent town residents wait their turn to be auctioned out to the lowest bidder who will accept the paupers into their homes in return for town funds. The young widow and an abandoned child named Agnes find themselves taken in by farmer and ciderist Samuell Wheeler and his elderly mother, renowned bed rug maker Hannah Wheeler. Margery swears to herself that she will not forever remain a pauper in purse or purpose.
Secrets and sorrows live on the prosperous farm. An itinerant Abenaki stonemason, Sozap Wzôkhilain, known as Joseph, joins the household and touches each of their lives in unexpected ways. The farm is the setting for danger and tragedy as well as simple joys and blossoming love. In Pauper Auction, strangers become friends, confidantes, and lovers. Tragedy becomes hope, and a family of the heart help each other find their futures, together and apart.
Rich and atmospheric period description and a strong sense of New England enhance this immersive narrative. Meticulously researched details of early 19th century foodways, and the crafts of blacksmithing, traditional stone wall building, needlework, hearth cooking, and hard cider-making bring Margery’s world to life. The novel is a perfect bookclub pick with themes that transcend time. A significant Afterword and Discussion Questions are included in the book.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2022
About the author
Mary Kronenwetter
1 book7 followersMary Kronenwetter is by birth and disposition a New Englander and grew up in a 19th century Massachusetts farmhouse complete with barn and outbuildings, well, and stone wall-lined pasture and fields. She holds a doctorate in education and has taught at colleges in the United States, China, and Japan. Mary lives in the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region of New Hampshire and has served as a museum educator at Historic Deerfield, The John Hay Estate at The Fells and the Enfield Shaker Museum.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
July 25, 2022
This was a very interesting look at a way of handling the indigent poor in rural New Hampshire in 1805. Indigent town residents were auction off to the LOWEST bidder who will accept the paupers into their homes for town funds. It is to be expected that they will also provide a lot of labor to said family. One can only imagine that this could be a dreadful situation for many, particularly for females. This novel is rich in details of food preparation, needlework and cider making as known in that time frame. Very enjoyable!
September 30, 2022
This was so cute! A love story, but not in the way you would expect of historical fiction. These misfits of early 19th century New England find a home amongst each other. Loved it!
March 1, 2022
For many readers, the word “pauper” conjures up Dickensian images of beggars on filthy city streets. Pauper Auction explores the consequences of becoming penniless in early rural New England. What happens to the widows, orphans or abandoned children, those with intellectual or physical challenges, or those “much addicted to drink” in a small town in New Hampshire, say in 1805? The answer in Thorneboro and many other towns throughout New England was the institution of the Pauper Auction.
The indigents who were deemed “town resident” (this classification is not as easy to obtain as one might think) were offered up, or verdued, at the annual town meeting held in the town meetinghouse. Unlike auctions as most understand them, in this type of auction, the lowest bidder took an unfortunate into their home at the least cost they were willing to accept from the town. Paupers would be fed and housed and asked to work unless infirm. In Pauper Auction, Widow Margery Turner and Agnes Bishop, an abandoned child, find themselves placed at Wheeler farm, where orchardist and cider-maker Samuel Wheeler and his mother Hannah reside. Another eventual resident of the farm is Sozap Wzo̱kihlain, known as Joseph, an itinerant Abenaki stone wall builder.
The book is broken into chapters introduced by the season and weather prognostications from the Levitt’s Farmer’s Almanac of 1805. In Pauper Auction, these forecasts also foreshadow the challenges, discrimination, and threats the characters face. For example, the chapter entitled Late Summer is introduced with the prediction “The thunder to purge the air & the wind to dispel the noxious effluvia.” The epigraph refers to facing and fighting the physical danger a woman alone can face.
The struggle to survive for the characters in Pauper Auction is not just about securing a roof over one’s head, food on the table and the general difficulty of life in early America. The residents on Wheeler farm are seekers of purpose, of love, of a balance between independence and mutual dependence. They seek freedom, even as each defines freedom in their own deeply personal ways. Pauper Auction also dispels some of the myths of early America being a simpler time and vividly reminds the reader of dangers such as the primitive state of medical treatment during this period.
Pauper Auction is a love letter steeped in the essence of New England, and more particularly New Hampshire. The novel delivers a vivid sense of place – of the beauty of a finely built stone wall, a lilac bloom, an apple pie baked in a beehive oven, or a rug woven from the wool of the farm’s sheep. But it includes the ugliness – the foul stench of a tanning yard or the necessity of culling animals for the table. This novel requires the use of all of one’s senses – smelling wood smoke and freshly turned earth, feeling a rough granite stone, tasting farm-made cider and vinegar, hearing hammer striking hot iron, seeing a shower of white blossoms in a spring apple orchard. For the contemporary reader, some experiences are unfamiliar such as sitting in an unheated meetinghouse for hours on end. For those who have lived in cold climes and experienced the relief and majesty of a fleeting spring, descriptions might conjure memories,
"Stepping out of the hearth-ruled kitchen was like throwing off a comforting unwashed quilt. In the bright, brittle sunlight, Margery felt a stirring in her heart. From the stoop, she saw the frost retreating along the path of the sunbeams. A single amethyst crocus reached out from alongside the foundation, with sisters soon to follow. The west side of the fence posts was hoary with ice crystals, while those on the east side dripped and glistened with melted water. The roof of the barn released wreaths of steam. Tufts of grasses interspersed with clumps of bluets sprouted in the pasture. No heart could be so hardened that it did not leap at the glorious beginning of such a day."
Pauper Auction fulfills the promise of historical fiction – weaving together details about the past while simultaneously telling stories about the human condition and the conflict between expectations and reality. The characters in the novel are impacted by their surroundings and the time period, but their feelings and expressions of love, hate, jealousy, pride and fears are timeless. Their search for lives of purpose, together and apart is a fundamental experience that resonates with any reader.
Review by the Author, Mary Kronenwetter
The indigents who were deemed “town resident” (this classification is not as easy to obtain as one might think) were offered up, or verdued, at the annual town meeting held in the town meetinghouse. Unlike auctions as most understand them, in this type of auction, the lowest bidder took an unfortunate into their home at the least cost they were willing to accept from the town. Paupers would be fed and housed and asked to work unless infirm. In Pauper Auction, Widow Margery Turner and Agnes Bishop, an abandoned child, find themselves placed at Wheeler farm, where orchardist and cider-maker Samuel Wheeler and his mother Hannah reside. Another eventual resident of the farm is Sozap Wzo̱kihlain, known as Joseph, an itinerant Abenaki stone wall builder.
The book is broken into chapters introduced by the season and weather prognostications from the Levitt’s Farmer’s Almanac of 1805. In Pauper Auction, these forecasts also foreshadow the challenges, discrimination, and threats the characters face. For example, the chapter entitled Late Summer is introduced with the prediction “The thunder to purge the air & the wind to dispel the noxious effluvia.” The epigraph refers to facing and fighting the physical danger a woman alone can face.
The struggle to survive for the characters in Pauper Auction is not just about securing a roof over one’s head, food on the table and the general difficulty of life in early America. The residents on Wheeler farm are seekers of purpose, of love, of a balance between independence and mutual dependence. They seek freedom, even as each defines freedom in their own deeply personal ways. Pauper Auction also dispels some of the myths of early America being a simpler time and vividly reminds the reader of dangers such as the primitive state of medical treatment during this period.
Pauper Auction is a love letter steeped in the essence of New England, and more particularly New Hampshire. The novel delivers a vivid sense of place – of the beauty of a finely built stone wall, a lilac bloom, an apple pie baked in a beehive oven, or a rug woven from the wool of the farm’s sheep. But it includes the ugliness – the foul stench of a tanning yard or the necessity of culling animals for the table. This novel requires the use of all of one’s senses – smelling wood smoke and freshly turned earth, feeling a rough granite stone, tasting farm-made cider and vinegar, hearing hammer striking hot iron, seeing a shower of white blossoms in a spring apple orchard. For the contemporary reader, some experiences are unfamiliar such as sitting in an unheated meetinghouse for hours on end. For those who have lived in cold climes and experienced the relief and majesty of a fleeting spring, descriptions might conjure memories,
"Stepping out of the hearth-ruled kitchen was like throwing off a comforting unwashed quilt. In the bright, brittle sunlight, Margery felt a stirring in her heart. From the stoop, she saw the frost retreating along the path of the sunbeams. A single amethyst crocus reached out from alongside the foundation, with sisters soon to follow. The west side of the fence posts was hoary with ice crystals, while those on the east side dripped and glistened with melted water. The roof of the barn released wreaths of steam. Tufts of grasses interspersed with clumps of bluets sprouted in the pasture. No heart could be so hardened that it did not leap at the glorious beginning of such a day."
Pauper Auction fulfills the promise of historical fiction – weaving together details about the past while simultaneously telling stories about the human condition and the conflict between expectations and reality. The characters in the novel are impacted by their surroundings and the time period, but their feelings and expressions of love, hate, jealousy, pride and fears are timeless. Their search for lives of purpose, together and apart is a fundamental experience that resonates with any reader.
Review by the Author, Mary Kronenwetter
February 26, 2022
Pauper Action is an intriguing insight into the lives of 19th century New Hampshire inhabitants. The novel starts with describing the deepest level of shame and poverty: Margery is sold off by the state to be somebody's problem in town, in exchange for state funds. Margery is originally an outsider in the town and only moved there after her marriage to Nathaniel Turner, who has died at the start of the story. She barely gets the time to mourn, because she is in such a state of survival. The research that has been undertaken for this book is extensive, and various moments throughout the novel confirm that. Such a moment is when Margery's new mistress, Hannah Wheeler, teaches her to churn butter. The descriptions of the Meetinghouse and the New Hampshire landscape are very vivid. All in all, a very interesting book.
September 17, 2022
Early 1800's. Pauper auctions were something I had never heard of. The relatively short story revolves around a family and the two paupers they take under their care...A gentle read lead by the change of seasons on a NH farm.
August 18, 2022
I enjoyed this quiet tale of found family who learn to love & support each other through the trials & joys of each season of farm life. Well-researched & touching.
August 8, 2023
This is an enjoyable historical novel about a young widow and a handicapped child, both of whom are "auctioned" off as paupers in a New Hampshire town in the early 1800s. In addition to revealing the lives of these two paupers, we also learn about Samuell, the man who takes them in and other members of his family. Along the way, the author gives the reader a thorough (but interesting) tutorial about the intricacies of farm life on such a farm. The main character, Margery, has gone from being a beloved wife to a helpless indigent at the accidental death of her husband. But she persists in a variety of ways. There is a happy ending which feels a little too pat, and the author's insistence on including a feel good story about a gay couple whom Margery and Samuell's sister, Hannah, readily accept, seems unrealistic.
January 10, 2024
Well researched and some really interesting details.
May 8, 2022
Mary Kronenwetter's novel tells the story of a fascinating New England custom of auctioning off the town's poor to the lowest bidder. Margery Turner, a new widow, is one such person auctioned off in Thorneboro, New Hampshire. Luckily she and an child named Agnes are purchased by the kindly farmer Samuell Wheeler. The story then begins of the first year of her time on the farm. Margery soon bonds with Agnes as well as Samuell, his mother and the Abenaki Sozap, an itinerant stonemason. This group forms a very untraditional family. Following the seasons on a New England farm, Margery learns about churning butter, harvesting apples for cider and other tasks of the early nineteenth century housewife. During this time Margery begins to deal with profound grief at the loss of her husband and the life she once had. By the end of the book, there is hope for a better future.
This book was very good at describing accurate historical details of daily life in 19th century New England. The descriptions were part of the story and avoided being a boring history lecture. What surprised me the most was the almost-modern subplots that somehow seemed to work and not disturb the flow of the historical novel. In the end, I was left with the impression that Margery was truly grief-stricken and that Samuell was truly kind and wishing they both would find happiness in the next stages of their lives. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction or learning about early New England life.
This book was very good at describing accurate historical details of daily life in 19th century New England. The descriptions were part of the story and avoided being a boring history lecture. What surprised me the most was the almost-modern subplots that somehow seemed to work and not disturb the flow of the historical novel. In the end, I was left with the impression that Margery was truly grief-stricken and that Samuell was truly kind and wishing they both would find happiness in the next stages of their lives. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction or learning about early New England life.
June 28, 2022
A lovely read that, through beautiful language and interesting characters, transported me into another time and place for a while. It could have stayed there (and I would have been perfectly happy), but the author throws in some drama for those who want a bit of that, too. My only regret is having to say goodbye to these characters, who really came to life for me. Recommend this read, especially for those who love historical fiction.
August 23, 2022
This book featured complex characters in the authentically presented setting of 1805 rural New Hampshire. Lovers of New England history will appreciate the opportunity to learn about life after the Revolutionary War in New Hampshire and consider the parallels between how people treat each other then and now. A love story, a cautionary tale, a thriller, and a history book rolled into one. Great for bookclubs.
May 18, 2022
Mary Kronenwetter’s "Pauper Auction" is a richly textured, meticulously researched historical novel with surprisingly contemporary themes of poverty, prejudice, and found family. The author’s gorgeous details and descriptions imparted a vivid sense of time and place, and her compelling characters won my heart and have me longing for a sequel. A beautiful debut novel.
July 28, 2022
Historical Fiction at its Best!!
I hope you get a chance to read this wonderful book. It brings you back to old New England as you’ve never imagined. You’ll learn things you’ve never dreamed of. The story and the characters are genuine and delightful. If you love New England, you’ll love this book!!
I hope you get a chance to read this wonderful book. It brings you back to old New England as you’ve never imagined. You’ll learn things you’ve never dreamed of. The story and the characters are genuine and delightful. If you love New England, you’ll love this book!!
November 7, 2022
Very Satisfying!
Best historical fiction I've read in a long time. Living in N.H and being a huge fan of history I found this book thoroughly enjoyable. I could smell the apples while I read. The author managed to make me feel physically in "NH" with her description of place in keeping with this beautiful timeless state. I love the characters and felt for each of them.
Best historical fiction I've read in a long time. Living in N.H and being a huge fan of history I found this book thoroughly enjoyable. I could smell the apples while I read. The author managed to make me feel physically in "NH" with her description of place in keeping with this beautiful timeless state. I love the characters and felt for each of them.
July 9, 2022
Very interesting story about something I knew nothing about!
August 14, 2022
Interesting look at a piece of history that I hadn't heard of before. Some of the plot lines seemed to be a bit farfetched. Overall, a nice historical fiction read with interesting characters.
August 30, 2022
Text place 1805 in New Hampshire. Good story
December 4, 2022
Excellent audio book. Eye opening research on early New England lives.
June 9, 2024
What I liked in this book was the research and scholarship. And, Pauper Auction contains beautiful prose and imagery. Thank you to the author for both of these things.
However, the attempt at good writing is sometimes carried too far and falls apart . For example, "Benjamin Meekin stood as silent and still as the granite stones huddling in the walls." Are the stones silent and still (i.e., unmoving) or are they huddling? As another example, "The town sniffed haughtily as Margery guided Persephone past the preening homes of those who did not toil on farms." sounded contrived to me. And "...in the relentless gaze of the witnessing sun" just sounded hokey.
Where the writing does excel, the description of the townspeople falls utterly flat. Is everyone in the town mean-spirited? People who had known the Margery for 5 years, and received kind acts from her, now spread gossip, snub her, and turn their backs? The entire town? And no one but Samuell is willing to be nice?
Finally, I think it must be difficult to write a story set in the early 19th century without an overlap of 21st century viewpoints. In too many places, however, particularly in an important plot point, the author succumbs to that temptation. I was left unconvinced that living in 1805, no matter how sympathetic Margery is to Samuell's unique situation, she really would not have felt confusion and some alarm.
I am disappointed that the book, which has promise, especially in the writing and research, let me down in so many ways.
However, the attempt at good writing is sometimes carried too far and falls apart . For example, "Benjamin Meekin stood as silent and still as the granite stones huddling in the walls." Are the stones silent and still (i.e., unmoving) or are they huddling? As another example, "The town sniffed haughtily as Margery guided Persephone past the preening homes of those who did not toil on farms." sounded contrived to me. And "...in the relentless gaze of the witnessing sun" just sounded hokey.
Where the writing does excel, the description of the townspeople falls utterly flat. Is everyone in the town mean-spirited? People who had known the Margery for 5 years, and received kind acts from her, now spread gossip, snub her, and turn their backs? The entire town? And no one but Samuell is willing to be nice?
Finally, I think it must be difficult to write a story set in the early 19th century without an overlap of 21st century viewpoints. In too many places, however, particularly in an important plot point, the author succumbs to that temptation. I was left unconvinced that living in 1805, no matter how sympathetic Margery is to Samuell's unique situation, she really would not have felt confusion and some alarm.
I am disappointed that the book, which has promise, especially in the writing and research, let me down in so many ways.
September 24, 2024
Set in the fictional town of Thorneboro, NH, this historical novel chronicles the life of newlywed Margery Turner after her husband dies tragedically and she is left with no means of support and no place to live. She is auctioned off as a "pauper", and the lowest bidder is Samuell Wheeler, whose bid wins the amount the town must pay him to take in Margery and the young child Agnes who is also auctioned. We learn about life in the early 1800's in New England...about how physically and emotionally difficult it was....what foods were eaten, how they were prepared, how food was grown and how farmers survived. We also learn about the relationship between White conquerors and the indigenous people whose land, language and customs they took. This is a thoroughly wonderful, easily read, well researched treasure.
May 1, 2025
A very engaging read right from the start. I never knew Pauper Auctions actually took place.
This book was thoroughly researched, giving extra depth, which educated the reader about life back in the early 1800s.
The author created such distinct characters, some you loved, some you hated. Their descriptions involved all of the senses making them very real.
This story weaves love, compassion, death, friendship into their demanding day to day struggle.
Definitely worth reading!
This book was thoroughly researched, giving extra depth, which educated the reader about life back in the early 1800s.
The author created such distinct characters, some you loved, some you hated. Their descriptions involved all of the senses making them very real.
This story weaves love, compassion, death, friendship into their demanding day to day struggle.
Definitely worth reading!
March 5, 2025
The story,set in early New Hampshire, is rich with description of how people lived. With detailed and well researched descriptions of cooking, stone masonry, botany, farming as well as the religious and moral flavor and customs of the day, I really learned so much. The actual plot has all the necessary elements- love, hate, compromise, secrets, retribution and dealing with the fate we are given. I really enjoyed this book.
August 1, 2025
A pretty interesting book! I appreciate a historical fiction novel based during times of upheaval (in this case, colonial America pre-industrialization and civil war) that presents nuance and exhibits sensitivity. It made for a refreshing read and learning experience.
That being said, it did consistently read as a history lesson from a particularly focused librarian. As a short read, I enjoyed this at times but the knowledge dumps dull the more intense action moments.
That being said, it did consistently read as a history lesson from a particularly focused librarian. As a short read, I enjoyed this at times but the knowledge dumps dull the more intense action moments.
October 24, 2023
A swift read once you get into the flow. The premise is interesting but the execution is a bit like a hallmark movie, everything ends up fine and everyone is happy. However, that is better than an actual historical account full of tragedy
January 10, 2024
I randomly picked this book up at my local library. It was very well researched and a lovely, easy read. There are some grammatical errors and typing mistakes which were a little irritating and let down the finesse of the novel, especially given the care taken with the beautiful layout.
February 6, 2025
4.5 stars.
This book surprised me. I really enjoyed it. Well written and researched. Characters with depth. A story of Found family. About a time period I haven’t read much about recently. Recommended.
This book surprised me. I really enjoyed it. Well written and researched. Characters with depth. A story of Found family. About a time period I haven’t read much about recently. Recommended.
November 7, 2023
Great story and well researched, but it reads like a children's book for some reason.
December 24, 2023
An interesting historical novel. Well written but not captivating.
July 14, 2024
Extremely well researched. A great view into rural NH history in the early 1800s. Excellent character development.
June 13, 2025
I’m very impressed that this is the author’s debut. Very well written, a well researched and interesting premise.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews