It Hasteth Away

This is the true story behind the marriage and correspondence between two young Maine coast islanders separated by the Civil War. Sabrina and Wesley Brown lived together only one month before Wesley enlisted and left his wife and island home. Despite their best efforts to maintain a marriage through the mail, their correspondence comes to a tragic halt. Their life together from courtship to conclusion is recorded in their letters and in their story. IT HASTETH AWAY represents the fruit of articles written and lectures presented about the Sabrina and Wesley Brown correspondence archived in the Islesboro, Maine, Historical Society. The book contains narrative material written by the author between excerpts of letters written by husband and wife during the years 1858-1862. More than just a reprint of letters, IT HASTETH AWAY is a reflective piece of writing that invites the reader to compare and contrast his or her own personal responses to the circumstances and behaviors that shaped the marriage of two young Maine coast islanders. This is a short book which can be read in two or three sittings, fits easily on a nightstand or coffee table and would be an appropriate gift or souvenir for guests who are visiting the Maine coast. 2011 is the year that we honor the anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War 150 years ago. IT HASTETH AWAY is proud to be among the books, articles, media events, reenactments and public remembrances that remind us of this milestone in our nation's history.

Randy Purinton graduated from Yale Divinity School in 1984 and is a Congregationalist minister. He and his wife Anita live in Amherst, Massachusetts and summer on the island of Islesboro in Penobscot Bay, Maine, where Randy, an accomplished woodworker, built a house near the water.