Growing up in a house where the large portrait of his great-great-grandfather Fred Knickerbocker was always a presence, Justin Kemp came to know his ancestor through the careful reading of hundreds of Fred’s letters, close inspection of photographs Fred had taken, and a good deal of research into larger, world events. The Spanish-American War had taken this Pine Plains farm boy with the classic early Hudson Valley setters’ name, on a wholly unexpected world adventure. Fred’s first letter to his parents apologize for enlisting in the service without telling them. But he assures them he would be back “in a few weeks.” Any parent can relate to the exciting, accessible narrative created by Justin.