An enthralling study of a founding American dynasty –the Peirces and the Princes--in an interwoven story of family heritage that extends from the earliest settlements to the mid-twentieth century.

From Pilgrims to Robber Barons, martyred witches to Confederate officers, artists to statesmen, founders of towns, states, and industries, from journalists to pirates, or pioneers to war heroes, each person in the narrative has an individual destiny and a distinct story. Yet each individual character occupies a place and a moment in the larger story of the United States, was shaped by and helped to shape that moment in time. Each person is linked to the others in a kind of golden braid of DNA and family heritage that extends from the earliest settlements to the present.

Chasing Chance is richly illustrated with one hundred images, portraits, and photographs drawn from Prince family archives and museums and historical societies elsewhere. In addition, each chapter includes “mini-genealogies” which focus specifically on the characters in that chapter and their relationship to one another and the modern family.