On September 9 at 7:00 p.m. Wallingford Public Library hosts Jon C. Blue, author of the new book The Case of the Piglets Paternity: Trials from the New Haven Colony, 1639 - 1663 (Wesleyan University Press, 2015). The book takes its name from a trial recorded in 1642 when a planter named John Wakeman informed the local magistrates that a sow he had recently purchased gave birth to what he called a ‘prodigious monster.’ The piglet was born dead and disfigured and was thought to resemble Mr. George Spencer, a neighbor of the sow’s owner. This proved to be most unfortunate for Mr. Spencer. He and the sow were both eventually executed for acts of bestiality on April 8, 1642.

In all, the book examines thirty-three of the most significant and intriguing trials from the records of the New Haven Colony. The trials ranged from murder and bestiality to drunken sailors, frisky couples, faulty shoes, and shipwrecks. The cases were reported in an unusually vivid manner, capturing the twists and turns of fortune as the participants battled with life and liberty at stake. Rendered here in modernized English and with insightful commentary by eminent Judge Jon C. Blue, this book allows readers to immerse themselves in the exciting legal battles of America's first days while gaining insight to daily life in colonial America. The public is invited to hear the author’s presentation and a question and answer session will follow.

Jon Blue was born and raised in Springfield, Minnesota, studied medieval history at Carleton College, and holds law degrees from Stanford and Virginia. He became a Superior Court Judge in 1989 and presides over criminal trials in New Haven. Copies of his book will be available for purchase and signing. Advance registration is appreciated. For more information please contact the library at www.wallingfordlibrary.org or 203-265-6754.