The American Twins Author:Lucy Fitch Perkins 1925. Illustrated by the author. Jonathan and Phoebe Ogden are twelve-year-old orphaned twins, living in Pennsylvania in the historic year of 1812. The twins were separated after the sudden death of their parents. While Phoebe lives with the kind Quaker Justice of the Peace, Jon is bound out to work on the farm of Farmer Brinkman. The farmer is ... more »a harsh and unsympathetic taskmaster who makes Jon's life so miserable that he decides to run away to sea. America has declared war on Britain and is in need of sailors. On his way to the Philadelphia shipyards, Jon is helped by Barney, a kind redheaded Irishman, to elude the irate Farmer Brinkman who is pursuing him. Luckily, Barney is also a sailor and the two decide to ship together on the American frigate Betsey, with John as ship's boy and soon they are deeply involved in the adventures of war. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.« less