The Massillon Connection

The book, which took seven years to produce, tells the story of the pioneer family-James and Eliza Duncan- who, in 1826, named the village they were settling after Jean-Baptiste Massillon. Massillon was a legendary eighteenth-century French bishop who delivered compelling sermons to both nobility and commoners. The book contains one of his sermons.

Research and preparation for this milestone book included a visit to Hyeres, France, the birthplace of Jean-Baptiste Massillon, on the 350th anniversary of his birth. That visit, based on a shared heritage, established a relationship that will likely continue for generations.

Massillon Connection: A Pioneer Woman, a French Bishop, and a Village on a River is the definitive story behind the origins of the naming of a city. It includes the story of the person who named Massillon and the story of the person for whom it was named.