About the Authors
Toll of the Liberty Bell emerges from an extraordinary collaboration between father and daughter, combining decades of military leadership with cutting-edge archaeological expertise to illuminate America’s Revolutionary past. This unique partnership bridges the gap between academic research and lived experience, bringing both scholarly rigor and authentic storytelling to the complex narratives of 18th-century Massachusetts.
Lauryn Sharp brings the precision of professional archaeology to the project, drawing on her specialized research into 18th-century urban craftsmanship and her daily work excavating Boston’s colonial layers. Her academic training and hands-on experience translating artifacts into inclusive historical narratives ensures that every detail of Revolutionary-era life is grounded in material evidence and current archaeological understanding.
Christopher Poe contributes three decades of military service and leadership experience, including combat deployments and training roles that echo the discipline and sacrifice of the Continental soldiers whose stories fill these pages. His transition from battlefield leadership to community resilience training provides a unique perspective on how individuals and communities endure and overcome extraordinary challenges—themes that resonate deeply with the Revolutionary experience.
Together, this father-daughter team weaves meticulous historical research with an intuitive understanding of military service, family legacy, and the personal costs of defending principles larger than oneself. Their collaboration represents a new approach to historical fiction—one that honors both the archaeological record and the human experience of those who lived through America’s founding struggle.
Lauryn Sharp, M.A.
Lauryn Sharp (Newton, MA) is a Project Archaeologist with the Boston City Archaeology Program, specializing in excavation, collections stewardship, and public engagement. She holds an M.A. in Historical Archaeology (UMass Boston) and a B.A. (James Madison University). Her research on 18th-century urban craftsmanship produced the published thesis Material Consumption of an 18th-Century Middling Urban Craftsman in Boston, Massachusetts (2023). She is acknowledged for contributions to Archaeological Investigations at the Old Manse (2019) and—credited as Lauryn Poe Sharp—to the American Antiquity open-access article on Indigenous persistence at Great Island, Wellfleet (2025). At the City’s West Roxbury lab and across Boston dig sites, Lauryn translates shards, seeds, and ledgers into clear, inclusive histories that reflect the Department’s commitment to telling the whole story of Boston..
Christopher Poe, US Army First Sergeant (Ret)
Christopher Poe (Pepperell, MA, Sebring, FL, Lincolnshire, England, UK) is a retired U.S. Army Infantry First Sergeant whose thirty-year career included combat deployments, sniper and drill sergeant assignments, and leadership roles at the tip of the spear in multiple combat zones around the world. He now serves as Senior Trainer and Community Development Director for 49 North™, a division of TechWerks, LLC, where he works alongside former Desert Storm Prisoner of War Brigadier General Rhonda Cornum to deliver resilience and performance programs for military, emergency services, education, and corporate communities worldwide. An experienced trainer and storyteller, Poe draws on both military service and family heritage to shape narratives that connect personal sacrifice with the broader arc of American history.
