Held Captive: The Story of the Herriges’ Family of Philadelphia: A Biography

A wealthy man's fall from grace began when he rented a home to the Gibson family...

A father and mother raised five kids in the Herriges household. The course of their lives together was irrevocably changed by unexpected events. An accident in 1850 rendered John B. Herriges' current situation unforeseeable. Everyone in their neighborhood knew about John B. and warned the Gibson's to keep their distance. The Gibson's were petrified of what might happen on that June day in 1870.

After the death of their father earlier that year, the Gibson family fell into poverty. Their only son, Thomas J., was thrust into the role of breadwinner. They had a rough go of it in 1870, but they kept going. They were moral people who did the right thing, or so they thought.

Although their history has been lost to time, the people in this story did exist.