Family ties led Samuel Marquis to write a companion historical work

Coloradosun · 🇺🇸 public United States · Aug 09, 2026 · 2805 words · By The Colorado Sun; Kevin Simpson

Indigenous-European Relations American Identity and Pluralism Colonial American History

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What to know about Indigenous-European Relations

Samuel Marquis is a professional hydrogeologist, expert witness, and the award-winning author of “Empire and Frontier,” “Captain Kidd,” “Blackbeard: The Birth of America,” and “Soldiers of Freedom.” The ninth-great-grandson of legendary privateer Captain…

Claims checked 18

Techniques found 4

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Born and raised in Colorado, Marquis and his wife live in Louisville, CO, where they raised their three children.

Common ground

SunLit: You’ve done several books on American history.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Indigenous-European Relations story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Captain William Kidd and Peter Schuyler and other historical figures... Kidd was a friend of both Peter Schuyler and Schuyler’s brother-in-law Robert Livingston?
How does this story connect Indigenous-European Relations with American Identity and Pluralism over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://coloradosun.com/2026/08/09/sunlit-samuel-marquis-empire-and-frontier/

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 4 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 70% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 18 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 8

check_circle Corroborated 5

help Insufficient Evidence 3

verified Verified By Reference 2

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Claim 1: “Captain William Kidd and Peter Schuyler and other historical figures... Kidd was a friend of both Peter Schuyler and Schuyler’s brother-in-law Robert Livingston”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “Fluent in Dutch, English, and Mohawk”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “The ninth-great-grandson of legendary privateer Captain William Kidd”

CORROBORATED

Both the Simon & Schuster publisher page and Amazon author biography explicitly state that Samuel Marquis is the ninth-great-grandson of Captain William Kidd.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Captain Kidd is a pub in Wapping, East London, that is named after the seventeenth-century pirate William Kidd, who was executed at the nearby Execution Dock. The pub is a Grade II listed building…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Kidd,_Wapping

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charles Bellamy (fl. 1717–1720) was possibly an English pirate who raided colonial American shipping in New England and later off the coast of Canada. He is often confused with (and may actually be) t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Bellamy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William Kidd (c. 1645 – 23 May 1701), also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd, was a Scottish privateer. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life, but he was likely born i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Kidd

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Samuel Marquis is a professional hydrogeologist, expert witness, and the award-winning author of “Empire and Frontier,” “Captain Kidd,” “Blackbeard: The Birth of America,” and “Soldiers of Freedom.””

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Simon & Schuster official page and Amazon author bio) confirm Samuel Marquis is a professional hydrogeologist, expert witness, and author of 'Empire and Frontier' and 'Captain Kidd'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A filibuster (from the Spanish filibustero), also known as a freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country or territory to foster or support a politi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster_(military)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Micajah "Big" Harpe, born Joshua Harper (before 1768 – August 24, 1799), and Wiley "Little" Harpe, born William Harper (before 1770 – February 8, 1804), were American murderers, highwaymen and river p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpe_brothers

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Samuel Ross Mason (November 8, 1739 – 1803), was an American Revolutionary War veteran, Virginia militia captain, justice of the peace, frontier leader, and later, a figure associated with river pirac…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Mason

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 5: “King William’s War, the First French and Indian War fought over control of North America in the 1690s between the English and French”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms King William's War was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697) fought between New France and New England.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The First Hundred Years' War (French: Première Guerre de Cent Ans; 1159–1259) was a series of conflicts and disputes during the High Middle Ages in which the House of Capet, rulers of the Kingdom of F…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Hundred_Years'_War

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the history of France, the French Republic (French: République française), retroactively referred to as the First Republic (French: Première République) and sometimes referred to in historiography …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_First_Republic

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — King William's War was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697). It was the first of six colonial wars (see the four French and Indian Wars, Father Rale's War and Father Le Loutr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_William's_War

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Peter Schuyler... grew up with them as well as the Mahicans”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 7: “King William’s War was the first of the four major clashes between England and France for control of North America.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms King William's War was the 'first of six colonial wars' including the 'four French and Indian Wars', supporting the claim that it was the first of the major clashes for control of North America.

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web search NEUTRAL — France, officially the French Republic, is a country primarily located in Western Europe. Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France

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web search NEUTRAL — Was the Hundred Years War a war between England and France?
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-hundred-years-war-1222019

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web search NEUTRAL — Hundred Years’ War, intermittent struggle between England and France in the 14th–15th century over a series of disputes, including the question of the legitimate succession to the French crown.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Hundred-Years-War

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Claim 8: “Colonel Peter Schuyler... was the mayor of the principal frontier outpost of Albany, but he served as commissioner of Indian Affairs, a New York governor’s council member, and commander of the New York militia.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific roles of Colonel Peter Schuyler.

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Claim 9: “Hilletie van Olinda... Born into the Mohawk Wolf Clan and living her first 19 years as a Mohawk, Hilletie van Olinda served more than 22 years as an English government translator, paid religious document translator, and Mohawk language instructor”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “By the time of his death in 1724”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “the Covenant Chain alliance between the English and the Haudenosaunee (Five Nations of the Iroquois)”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the Covenant Chain was an alliance/agreement between the English and the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois).

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web search NEUTRAL — The Haudenosaunee concept of the covenant chain evolved from Haudenosaunee concepts long before European contacts with the Dutch, the French, and the English. Unfortunately, no record of a covenant ch…
https://www.onondaganation.org/history/2010/polishing-the-si…

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web search NEUTRAL — The English inherited the Dutch-Haudenosaunee alliance and soon cemented ties with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, chiefly through a series of agreements known as the Covenant Chain in 1677.
https://ushist.commons.gc.cuny.edu/native-power-in-early-enc…

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web search NEUTRAL — The term “Covenant Chain” was derived from the metaphor of a silver chain holding the English sailing ship to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Tree of Peace in the Onandaga Nation. A three-link silver cha…
https://peaceincaledonia.wordpress.com/tag/haldimand/

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Claim 12: “he has written a total of 13 nonfiction history and historical fiction books, covering the period from colonial America through WWII.”

CORROBORATED

Simon & Schuster mentions 'Empire and Frontier, Captain Kidd, and eleven other nonfiction history and historical fiction books' (totaling 13), and Amazon mentions 'twelve American non-fiction-history, historical-fiction' books in addition to others. The count of 13 is supported by the publisher's description.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Samuel L. Jackson is an American actor and film producer. A highly-prolific actor who has starred in over 150 film roles to date, Jackson's films have collectively grossed over $27 billion, making him…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Samuel_L._Jackson_perf…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Hanover, New Hampshire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Hanover,_N…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “Born and raised in Colorado, Marquis and his wife live in Louisville, CO”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results explicitly state that Marquis was born and raised in Colorado and lives in Louisville, CO.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Agnes Leonard Hill (née, Leonard; pen names, Mollie Myrtle and Garth Godfrey; January 20, 1842 – January 20, 1917) was an American journalist, newspaper founder and publisher, as well as an author and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Leonard_Hill

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elizabeth Fry Page (née, Fry; 1865 – September 3, 1943) was an American author and editor associated with the South. A co-founder of the Tennessee Woman's Press and Authors' Club, she served as the Po…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Fry_Page

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Many United States placenames are derived either from a person who may have been associated with the founding of the place, or in honor of a notable person. If there is no citation for a place on this…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_in_the_United_S…

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 14: “the Grand Settlement of 1701, which allowed the Five Nations to gain long-term security and independence until the Revolution by securing treaties of neutrality with the English and French”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the 'Grand Settlement of 1701'.

help

Claim 15: “Leisler’s Rebellion from 1689 to 1701”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The claim states the rebellion lasted from 1689 to 1701. However, Wikipedia and APUSH sources explicitly state the rebellion ended in 1691 (specifically March 1691).

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web search NEUTRAL — Leisler's Rebellion was an uprising in late-17th century colonial New York in which German American merchant and militia captain Jacob Leisler seized control of the southern portion of the colony and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisler's_Rebellion

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web search NEUTRAL — Leisler’s Rebellion started in May 1689 and ended in March 1691. It was a revolt that took place in New York City that was caused by political, economic, and religious tensions between the inhabitants…
https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/leislers-rebe…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Act for Reversing the Attainder of Jacob Leisler represents a gigantic U-turn in British politics. After being executed for treason, in 1698 Leisler was granted a full pardon and recognised as leg…
https://www.amdigital.co.uk/insights/blog/leislers-rebellion

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Claim 16: “she earned a professional salary as the official interpreter of New York Province”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 17: “1690 Schenectady Massacre”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 18: “Robert Livingston... was the one who coaxed Kidd to undertake his pirate-hunting expedition to the Indian Ocean”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.