Coldspring

2011-04-18T15:20:00.001-07:00

a non-fiction trilogy of human spirit and mystique; synchronized into karmic resolution

Self-Publishing success

2011-04-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Being successfully Self-Published (as first time authors) is no longer unique these days, however self-made success is always an inspiration to hear.

Nearly a decade ago, Cheri was simply inquiring about an old photograph which was intentionally hidden in her family’s album in Jamestown, NY. She was told it was her great aunt Bernice Kenyon Farnsworth who was murdered in March 1935. The secrecy to Bernice’s existence only served to prompt John Scarano and Cheri Mancuso into a passionate investigation.

Their research into the historical facts, individuals surrounding the events consumed nearly 10 years because each piece of information they found kept revealing more and more layers of intrigue dating back 234 years!

Offers from major publishing houses came in, but due to the sensitive nature of this incredible story being told truthfully, they wanted control over editing and be able to maintain their rights to the books, so they passed on specific publishing house offers.

Editing, Graphics, printing were all done at an affordable cost. Next they placed the books on Amazon and in eBook format, walked the books into Waldenbooks, libraries, boutique book stores, did a book launch event and eventually 5 months into it hired a publicist to assist with publicity and marketing. They’ve sold nearly 4500 books within their first year.

Karma

2011-01-27T17:35:00.001-08:00

Karma offers a range of choices based on one's actions and thus at every step of the way choices are being made. In effect choices are not random and they do not happen in a vacuum but rather are premised on past actions.

One of many fabulous letters in response to the authors

2011-01-27T09:06:00.001-08:00

Synchronicity - such a fabulous word and meaning for many.

2011-01-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

WIKIPEDIA says...."Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events, that are apparently causally unrelated or unlikely to occur together by chance, that are observed to occur together in a meaningful manner. The concept of synchronicity was first described by Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung in the 1920s.
Jung variously described synchronicity as an "acausal connecting principle", "meaningful coincidence" and "acausal parallelism". Jung believed that many experiences that are coincidences due to chance in terms of causality suggested the manifestation of parallel events or circumstances in terms of meaning, reflecting this governing dynamic."
______________________
Now how does this apply to the 3 bizarre Coldspring incidents which occurred over a span of 234 years in the same manner, on the same property in New York, all incidents happened between 1 woman and 2 men, with details so identical ....it is not coincidence. It can't be. It is too unbelievably true to be brushed off as mere coincidence. So I am entering the thoughts about "synchronicity" and how that evasive definition may or may not apply to Coldspring.

Warning

2010-11-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

Because the images below (as you scroll down to the end of this blog) are real 1930's photographs from the Coldspring story, they may be uncomfortable to look at.

Everyone loves a good murder mystery

2010-11-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

But what about literature of TRUE crime, especially in relation to genealogy?
What if you discovered your great aunt was the victim of a brutal crime and the descendants of her murderer came forth unaware they were even related to this murderer until they read a book you wrote about it?

“True crime” is a much messier affair than fiction and I dare say much more passionate, especially in the hands of authors Cheri Mancuso and John Scarano.

Their particular true crime story in their latest literary non-fiction book Coldspring: The Trial is elevated to literary art when they take the reader on the same journey as the murderer by capturing his thoughts, anguish and his premonitions’ of death and eventual execution. The same murderer who killed Mancuso’s great aunt Bernice Kenyon Farnsworth and her husband Harold Farnsworth. The criminal was their farmhand Alfred J. ‘Freddy’ Lindsay who led State Troopers in the largest manhunt in New York history and executed at NY’s Sing Sing by way of in infamous ‘old sparky” electric chair in 1935.

But Mancuso, (like many of us who are simply curious about our genealogy/ancestry roots) was only inquiring as to the name of the woman found buried in her aunt’s photo album while on a family visit in Jamestown, NY. Her aunt quickly dismissed the photograph, which only increased Mancuso’s curiosity which then led to opening a Pandora’s Box of buried information that eventually affected an entire community in lower state New York area.

One inquiry about a single 75 yr. old photograph- Mancuso and co-author John Scarano got more than they bargained for.

As they dug through the family history, passionate curiosity evolved into nearly a decade of detailed investigative research and mountains of documents. With the help of a private investigator, and interviews with descendants of family members, towns people, witnesses, jurors and the defending DA’s son that one inquiry all ultimately unfolded serendipitous discoveries no one could have imagined.

The woman in question in the 1935 photograph is Bernice Kenyon Farnsworth. Bernice was a strong independent woman ahead of her time in the early 1930’s. She worked for Judge Orla Black and became politically active in the protest against capital punishment. Bernice never married until late in life so when she married an ex-con, Harold Farnsworth who was 20 years her junior, (the cell mate of their farmhand and their eventual murderer Freddy Lindsay) the small rural community frowned upon her personal life choice, already uncomfortable her being an independent full time career woman.

The brutal murders of Bernice and Harold gained national attention in March 1935. The manhunt for murder suspect Freddy Lindsay was the largest ever in NY state history. His trial was front page national news; his execution was brutal making one re-think the death penalty all together, especially since it was not premeditated murder.

In addition, Mancuso and Scarano discovered 3 similar events involving 2 men and 1 woman each took place in Coldspring Creek, Cattaraugus County, New York…….

The serendipitous discoveries
In the early 1700’s, a Seneca Indian brutally murdered two of his own tribe – the woman he loved and the man who had won her heart – with an ax. A Seneca Indian Guide recited the legend of these murders in Coldspring to a Holland Company surveyor in 1799.

In 1873, William Bourne, the young stepson of a settler, murdered his stepfather Caleb Omens and his stepfather’s wife - with an ax. This incident was reported in many local papers in 1873.

In 1935 Alfred “Freddy” Lindsay, murdered Bernice Kenyon Farnsworth and her husband Harold Farnsworth - with an ax.

The small rural areas of Cattaraugus County New York buried it all in shame, never to be spoken of again. The memory of Bernice, Harold, and Freddy were shunned and forgotten until 75 years later when Mancuso and Scarano revealed truths and healing on what had become an unbelievable fable around camp fires.

Many descendants of the individuals in this non-fiction story have come forth, (including the descendants of Lindsay himself). All are relieved the story has come to light so it could finally be laid to rest in peace.

All this information unfolded from one simple question about a 75 year old photograph?

FYI: in case you'd like to research your own family history here are the terms defined.

Ancestry is the descendant of a person’s bloodline. Genealogy is the research and analysis of ancestry. But genealogy can also be used to analyze the evolution of concepts, values and ideas. Cast as historical narratives, critical genealogies can effectively show how certain systems of thought, cultural practices and ways of life developed over time.

Coldspring: The Resolution will be released in 2011.
Coldspring: The Trial was released October 9, 2010.
Coldspring was released November 12, 2009

Due to Hollywood interest, a screenplay is in the works.

Vengeance is a lazy form of grief

2010-11-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

Coldspring: The Trial deals with a true crime story. It is elevated to literary art as the authors take the reader on the same journey as the murderer by capturing his thoughts, anguish and his premonitions’ of death and eventual execution.

While the death penalty remains a controversial issue, who is it really there for? Prison Budget cuts? Eye for an Eye? Vengeance? Justice? Granted murder that is premeditated (Bin Ladin, Charles Manson,etc) is a different matter because there is no remorse and they will just keep coming at you no matter how much rehabilitation or forgiveness there is. I found that after reading Coldspring: The Trial, there should be no capital punishment for cases involving involuntary manslaughter, temporary insanity, and self-defense for that matter.
Point being the book changed my mind on that issue. I am now against Capital Punishment for anything other than premeditated murder.

COLDSPRING: The Trial (a page turner - I was pulled in).

2010-09-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Alfred J. Lindsay murdered Bernice Kenyon Farnsworth and his friend Harold Farnsworth on March 5, 1935. Bernice’s great niece Cheri Mancuso and her partner co-author John Scarano published the inside story providing sufficient details to establish the romantic elements of the murder victims' background story. Detailed accounts of the discovery of the crime, capture of the suspect, the politically maneuvered trial which led to his (questionable) execution is all amplified, enhanced and expanded their latest book Coldspring: The Trial

Now available on Amazon.com

2010-08-06T11:56:00.001-07:00

a glimpse of the "real" characters in the story

2010-08-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

Coldspring in the news...on camera

2010-08-03T12:04:00.001-07:00

Click on the "red title" above which will link you to the on camera interview with authors Cheri Mancuso and John Scarano

Synchronicity

2010-07-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

Have you ever visited a place for the first time but were overcome by an extreme sense of “familiarity”?
Or discovered a serendipitous connection in a simple ancestry search?

Perhaps it’s due to an energy connection left behind by your ancestors whom may have lived there once before, or a reincarnation memory of when you yourself lived there in a past life time or an unexplainable karmic connection.

Also - have you ever felt so connected to someone (family, friend, or someone you just met) that you felt LIFTED and were able to communicate your deepest thoughts
without much in the way of words?

I have - and it's an experience I will never forget. Yet I'm still trying to grasp an understanding of it and hopefully converse with others who may have experienced the same.

Your thoughts??

A page turner of literary non-fiction story telling

2010-07-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

“Who is this woman in the photograph you’ve had hidden all these years?” Cheri Mancuso inquired to a family member while going through an old photo album. The response was.. “we don’t speak of her."
New York resident and co-author of “Coldspring” Cheri Mancuso was simply searching for answers about her mysterious aunt Bernice Kenyon Farnsworth which had been kept a secret since 1935. As she dug through her family history, her passionate curiosity evolved into nearly a decade of detailed investigative research which unfolded into serendipitous discoveries that changed everything for her family and eventually for an entire community.
The research led them to separate reports of the same crime story repeating itself, stories of love, jealousy and murder that always involved two men and one woman in Coldspring, NY. These incidents occurred in the same manner, over a span of 234 years, with details so similar, some exactly identical, that it shed light on the karmic evolution and reincarnation aspects of her life and the life of her partner John.
What are your thoughts on Karmic evolution?

Coldspring...a true story

2010-07-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

The YouTube link above is an introduction to the "spirit" and feeling of the book
set to music and related images and actual people whom the story references.
Please feel free to comment

Coldspring now on Amazon.com

2010-07-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

For those of you who love ebooks (reading on your iPads poolside this summer)
Coldspring in ebook form is now available on Amazon.com :-)

Families become closer in an overdue healing process

2010-07-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

The storyline in Coldspring chronicles the reincarnations of two men and one woman together over a span of 12,000 years. Their successive lives take them from Upper Siberia, across the Bering Strait Bridge into the North American Continent and eventually into upstate New York. Three sets of actual murders occur over a long span of time after the trio reincarnates in the Coldspring, NY area.

A Seneca Indian Guide recited the legend of the first set of murders in Coldspring to a Holland Company surveyor in 1799. The second set of murders in Coldspring/Steamburg was reported in many local papers in 1873. The book culminates in 1935 with the murder of Bernice Kenyon Farnsworth and her husband, Harry who was an ex-convict and 20 years her junior.

The gruesome murders of the newly married couple created a huge sensation throughout the Southern Tier after the bodies were discovered on March 9, 1935. Quickly, as word spread, it became national news. New York State Troopers immediately mounted what was, at that time, the largest manhunt in the history of the State of New York for murder suspect, Freddy Lindsay. Lindsay was Harry Farnsworth’s former cellmate at Great Meadow Prison.

The Coldspring book (www.TheColdspring.com) took off in the year 2000 when Mancuso, a native of Salamanca, NY, asked a friend who was a private detective to help her find her family in Randolph, NY. That request brought down a landslide of information concerning the Farnsworth murders. Eventually their research led them to local libraries where Mancuso and John Scarano found reports of two other sets of murders that occurred in the same area with the same weapon – an ax. The murders all involved two men and one woman. That was how the book took on the theme of karma and reincarnation.

In another twist, Mancuso is a well-known Medium who helps many individuals gain closure with loved ones who have passed on. She continues her emotionally healing work with Coldspring as the book has brought healing to her family, to the murderer’s family and even to the family of the murderer’s defending Attorney, G. Sydney Shane. You may visit her website for more information at: www.mediumcheri.com.
Mancuso and Scarano will be releasing book two, "Coldspring, The Trial," soon and there are plans for a third book, "Coldspring, The Resolution."

"COLDSPRING"....an incredible true story of karmic evolution

2010-06-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

Cattaraugus County, New York 1935
...."without knowing it, Freddy was driving squarely into the face of destiny. He would soon become the object of the largest manhunt in New York State history."

I'm a huge fan of the book "Coldspring" because not only is it a great page turner of non-fiction story telling but it also chronicles 3 documented lifetimes as well as two earlier ones which actually demonstrated an evolution of karma from lifetime to lifetime.
Something I had no idea could really happen.

If you haven't read this book - check it out!
Meanwhile - what are your thoughts about karmic evolution, reincarnation?
Have you ever visited a place for the first time, but instantly became overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity?

All comments welcome