One of the most interesting figures I stumbled upon while researching the Myers Tavern at Matildaville was Congressman Manasseh Cutler. His published journals contain one of the few surviving references to the Widow Jane Myers, which gave me some of the only factual grounding I had for her character. That single detail sent me down a research rabbit hole — and what I found was too good not to weave into Chasing Freedom.
The more I learned about Congressman Cutler, the more impressed I became. He wasn’t just a congressman. He was a Reverend, a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, and a man whose influence reached far beyond the Potomac. He helped found Ohio University and is still known as “The Father of Ohio University.” That connection I enjoyed on a personal level — my uncle Charles Carlson taught there, and my brother Dan Carlson attended — but even without that, his legacy is remarkable.
Cutler also played a pivotal role in shaping the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, specifically the section prohibiting slavery in the Northwest Territory. That alone makes him a towering figure in early American history to me.

To bring all of these achievements into the novel in a natural way, I created a dinner party scene at the tavern. Another historically documented visitor, John Davis, appears there as well — and he deserves a post of his own (for later).
One of my favorite discoveries was a small anecdote from Cutler’s 1802 visit to the White House. President Jefferson, inspired by a recipe he encountered in Italy, served a dish containing macaroni. Cutler, unfamiliar with pasta, mistook the noodles for onions and was decidedly unimpressed. According to some accounts, Ohio University later took playful exception to this, interpreting it as a slight against macaroni and cheese.
These are the moments that make me love historical fiction research. You never know what you’ll find — a forgotten detail, a quirky story, or a character who steps out of the archives and insists on joining your novel.