Sharmin Fairbanks McKenny, like her ancestors, grew up on a traditional farm. She flew a plane before she received a driver's license. Graduating with honors in nursing, Sharmin cared for early kidney transplant patients, severely burned and trauma patients. she became one of the first civilian emergency helicopter flight nurses and earned her master's degree the day her son was born.
Ms. McKenny has visited all the lands of her ancestors in England and the U.S.A., including a 1500s house in Northern England and the 1637 Fairbanks House in Dedham, Massachusetts, the oldest frame-house in Northern America. She served two years as a member of the board of directors and as acting historian of the Fairbanks Family of America, Inc.
Sharmin and her husband, John, live in Florida, They enjoy golf, travel, and her Orphan Orchid Program. They cherish their two adult children and grand dog.
Made to Last Forever
In the turmoil of religious persecution, political upheaval, and the 1625 England’s Plague, Jonathan Fairbanks is snubbed in his father's will. Jonathan and his wife Grace take their six young children over treacherous seas to the newly founded Massachusetts Bay Colony. Jonathan struggles to settle their family in Dedham, one of the first inland towns, as Grace strives to overcome doubts, hardships and superstitions while sustaining their family. Just as security is in sight, their son Jonas asserts his own ambitions, contrary to his father's. Jonas leaves for Hammersmith Ironworks, then is sent to a new wilderness where he finds he can marry for love.
Follow the Fairbanks family as they navigate relatable generational dissonance while building the oldest frame-house still standing in North America and helping to forge the first successful ironworks in the colony. Ultimately, fostering greater family unity, resilience and belonging that endures across generations.
This book is timeless, it contributes understanding of history to precede the upcoming commemorations: the 400th anniversaries of Boston and Massachusetts Bay Colony in 2030, the founding of Dedham in 2035/36, and the building of the Fairbanks House in 2037. It lays the foundation to recognize the common men who did uncommon things to develop this nation and for understanding the contributions of descendants whose inventions, medical advancements, artistic and athletic talents, political leadership, have helped shape this country. The family, the house, and the nation have truly lasted forever.