Books for kids, teens, & those who are young at heart

January 1654? – A Legend is Born #CaptainKiddHistory

Today marks the start of a new feature here on the Observation Desk called #CaptainKiddHistory. These historical tidbits about Captain William Kidd are told by Billy, the main character of my upcoming middle grade adventure PIRATE ISLAND. Billy discovered and wrote down these tidbits while doing research to find Kidd’s lost treasure but before he actually looked for it on Pirate Island. Let’s give a big welcome to Billy!

January 1654? – A Legend is Born

by Billy Bonny

Credit: 18th century portrait of William Kidd by Sir James Thornhill. Public domain. Billy’s comment: Totally not how I picture Kidd looking (way too stuffy and proper).

Pointing out the day someone is born seems kind of boring. But in the case of someone legendary like Captain William Kidd, it’s totally worth noting. The trouble is that no one is quite sure when he was actually born. Some sources claim he was born in 1645 and others in January of 1654. That’s a nine-year difference; a lot can happen in nine years. That’s like two-thirds of my whole life! (My birth date is June 22, 2004…just so you know for sure if I ever become famous one day.) It is known that he was born in Scotland, but no one is sure exactly where.

Even worse, there is no good evidence of what he was up to until the late 1680s. That’s 30 or 40 years of lost history when it comes to Kidd. I know he lived a long time ago, but you’d think the life of an infamous pirate (or not-pirate as I would say…but that’s a later post) would be better documented. What about all those non-famous people that lived at the time? Is there any record of them ever being alive? It kind of makes me happy to be alive now when it’s so easy to find out what everybody is up to.

The full list of #CaptainKiddHistory posts by Billy Bonny:

January 1654? – A Legend is Born

1688 to 1689 – Mutineer and Captain 

1690 to 1695 – The Archenemy and the Wife

December 1695 to September 1696 – Privateer, Not Pirate

September 1696 to October 16, 1697 – The Bucket Incident

1698 to April 1699 – A Privateer Prize and the Return of the Archenemy

June 1699 – Proof of Treasure

July 6, 1699 to May 23, 1701 – Trial and Execution

PIRATE ISLAND blurb:

A thrice cursed island, a legendary pirate treasure, and one not-so-brave boy. What could possibly go wrong?

For centuries, the whereabouts of Captain William Kidd’s lost pirate treasure has remained a mystery. When Billy’s best friend, Andy, proposes they look for it on nearby Pirate Island, Billy thinks it’s just another one of their crazy adventures. It’s usually Billy who ends up in trouble as a result, but he goes along for the ride…like always. The more he delves into the life and death of Kidd, the more he thinks the treasure is real and that it might be buried on the small island in Long Island Sound. Billy—nope, call him William—becomes obsessed with the captain of the same first name. He even believes he’s possessed by Kidd’s restless soul. Now he and the spirit of a long-dead pirate are leading the crazy adventure on Pirate Island. And what they find is far bigger than the treasure they imagined.

Now available for pre-order! Get it on  Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, IndieBound, and many other of your favorite book sellers.

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2 Comments

  1. mirkabreen

    Fresh take on that rascal, Billy the Kid 😉

    • Katie L. Carroll

      Glad you enjoyed it! Billy might be having a little too much fun writing these. 🙂

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