A.J. Schenkman is a historian, educator, and author. He has been teaching over 30 years.
He specializes in uncovering the “hidden” human stories of American history, particularly within the Hudson Valley.
His storytelling approach to history, which he calls “History Made Seamless,” uses personal narratives over dry dates and battles.
His body of work includes Wicked Ulster County and Murder and Mayhem in Ulster County, as well as broader historical investigations such as Patriots and Spies in Revolutionary New York and his 2025 release, Hispanic Americans in the Civil War.
In addition to his adult non-fiction books, he has also authored a children’s book, Franklin’s Trees, which explores FDR’s passion for conservation. He has been seen on NBC and ABC.
Writing
BECAUSE GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON IS one of the most-well known and most beloved personalities in United States’ history, both the facts and the fictions about him fill volumes. He had wooden teeth; he threw a coin across the Potomac; and, of course, for some reason he cut down a cherry tree.
Montgomery Place is located in Annandale-on-Hudson, overlooking the scenic Hudson River. The first owner of the home was Janet Livingston Montgomery, the widow of General Richard Montgomery, a Revolutionary War hero killed in the 1775 attack on Quebec.
I have been a Beatles fan since I was five, but even more so, a fan of John Lennon. He was always my favorite Beatle. Previously, for New York Almanack, I wrote about when John and Yoko visited New Paltz in 1971 and dined over the…
After President Franklin Delano Roosevelt lost the use of his legs, his son Eliott wrote that his father had a fear of fire. He regularly practiced escaping from their family home, Springwood, in Hyde Park, Dutchess County, NY, in the event that there would be a fire.
On the west side of the Hudson River near Newburgh, NY, across the river from the Roosevelt home at Hyde Park, was the Delano estate known as Algonac.
The Delano family hailed from Massachusetts and traced their origins to the Pilgrims and the Mayflower (they once spelled their name Del de Lannoy). The family was tied to the sea and eventually settled in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.
Johannes LeFevre was born in New Paltz on May 26, 1837, to Josiah P. LeFevre and his wife, Elizabeth.
Guest Appearances
IN The PRESS
We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful A.J. Schenkman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with A.J. below.
Hudson Valley Magazine has announced their 2022 Best of Hudson Valley winners. Gardiner Town Historian A.J. Schenkman has been named Best Author for his recent book, Patriots and Spies in Revolutionary New York
The Hurley Heritage Society will welcome local author A.J. Schenkman, who will conduct "Patriots and Spies"-focused walking tours
In his latest book, "Hispanic Americans in the Civil War, " Schenkman devotes chapters to eight prominent Hispanic Americans
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the magazine “Connecticut Explored” is highlighting the first Puerto Rican to serve in the United States military and his connection to New Haven.
Over the past year, publisher Katherine Hermes and author A.J. Schenkman have been working together to share the story of Second Lieutenant Augusto Rodriguez, recognized as the first Puerto Rican U.S. military veteran.
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NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — A New York teacher, writer and historian is highlighting the history of a New Haven resident who was the first Puerto Rican native to serve in the United States military.
When A.J. Schenkman first saw the name “Lieutenant Augusto Rodríguez”, he was inspired by his seventh graders and got to work searching.
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