Sharman Burson Ramsey's Blog, page 36

South Carolina Connections to Fort Mims

South Carolina connections to Fort Mims
Notice the location of Silver Bluff on this map. Take note of Ninety-Six. My own ancestor, Vashti Vann Jernigan, of Cherokee descent, came from the Ninety-Six District.
Andrew Jackson sent Vashti and her husband Benjamin Jernigan, said to have been a neighbor of Andrew Jackson, to Burnt Corn Springs to herd cattle for the expected conflict with the Spanish over West Florida.  He sat at her table and ate food she had prepared and then sent her cousins, descendants of Chief James Vann, on the Trail of Tears.
Irish immigrant George Galphin operated a large-scale frontier trading post at Silver Bluff. He owned 40,000 acres of land in South Carolina and Georgia, a large number of livestock, and 128 slaves, some of whom were his own children.
Dr. Thomas Galphin Holmes who survived the Massacre at Fort Mims by escaping through a hole chopped in the pickets was the grandson of Galphin and his quadroon second wife, the illegitimate daughter of Moses Nunes, a wealthy Jewish merchant and an Indian woman. Their daughter had married John Holmes, an Irishman who had worked with Galphin in the fur trade.

Samuel Mims, around whose home the fort was built, was "one of the pack-horsemen of the Honorable George Galphin." Mims built his home and operated a ferry on the Federal Road, the primary road through the Creek country. Charles Weatherford, father of William Weatherford (Red Eagle who led the attack on Fort Mims) came to the Creek Nation prior to 1778 and shortly after the close of the American Revolution, in company with Samuel Mims.
South Carolina was probably the origin of many who took the Federal Road through Georgia. Now known as the "OLD FEDERAL ROAD," this primary travel route was conceived and built to connect Fort Wilkinson, near Milledgeville, Georgia, to Fort Stoddert, an American outpost north of Mobile, Alabama. Developed from the 1806-11 postal horse path that followed earlier Native American paths, the Federal Road subsequently became a primary travel route for pioneers going to the Mississippi Territory. The Federal Road functioned as an important link between Washington, D.C., and New Orleans. Early settlers, of the area now known as Monroe, Escambia, Wilcox, Butler and Conecuh Counties, in Alabama included the Middleton, Wardlaw, Bonham, Travis and many other South Carolina families.

Proposal to the Historical Novel Society

I have joined the Historical Novel Society and want to be an active participant. They have issued a call for proposals for the 2013 meeting which will be in St. Petersburg, Florida at the Renaissance Vinoy Hotel
June 21-23, 2013. This year they are in London!

The call for proposals states: 
The 2013 HNS North American Conference Board is pleased to announce a Call For Proposals to be a speaker for next year’s program in St. Petersburg, FL.  We’re trying something a little different this time in order to more fully engage the variety of people who attend our conferences. We all love historical fiction of course, but we’re in different places in our appreciation: writers (new and established), readers and fans, and bloggers. Some of us are in all of these categories, and in many places along the roads in between.We’re planning to organize conference activities along the following lines:Writing Historical Fiction: From beginning writers to the published greats.Publishing and Marketing Historical Fiction: Old school and new tools.Reading Historical Fiction: What do readers and bloggers want to see?

So, I have written a proposal that I plan to submit that I will share with you. I will probably have sent it before you have time to critique it, but comment anyway if you like, because it will help me with my next proposal. 
________________________________________________________________________________
To the Victor Belongs the Spoils – and the Story: The Silenced Voice of the Native American Speaks Out
By: Sharman Burson Ramsey

"Writing Historical Fiction: Being present in the past, or how notto inject today’s attitudes into yesterday"
Historical Novel Society Conference
St. Petersburg, Florida
June 21-23, 2013
I would introduce this panel with a song from Nightwish entitled “Creek Mary’s Blood” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&NR=1&v=CLq2pUo4UgY). The words of this song convey the motivation of many of us to speak up for the voiceless ones whose story is seldom told. 
Soon I will be here no more
You'll hear my tale
Through my blood
Through my people
And the eagle's cry
The bear within will never lay to rest
Wandering on Horizon Road
Following the trail of tears.
Andrew Jackson, an icon in American history, began his road to glory in the Creek War, often a footnote of the larger war of which it was a part, the War of 1812. As the result of this war and the Treaty of Fort Jackson, 25,000,000 acres of land came into the hands of land agents and a flood of settlers claimed the lands of the Creek Indians. Yet, Article 9 of the  Treaty of Ghent, an international treaty, provided that the United States would end hostilities with the Indians and would restore to the tribes “all the possessions, rights and privileges which they may have enjoyed or be entitled to in one thousand eight hundred and eleven previous to such hostilities.” Jackson claimed the Treaty of Fort Jackson took precedence over the international treaty and by the power of his personality and the reputation he had attained at the Battle of New Orleans, he prevailed. 
But the story of those Native Americans was left untold in a nearly forgotten time and place in American history. “Remember Fort Mims” was once a rally cry as potent as “Remember the Maine” and “Remember the Alamo.” The names and stories of those who fought with Jackson are remembered and told in genealogical societies throughout the nation, but only recently with the current popularity of finding ones roots has the silence been lifted and the shame of one’s Native American heritage become a thing of the past. 
The ancestry of my fourth great grandmother was kept silent for years. Ironically, her husband, a friend of Jackson’s, was called to herd cattle in the Fort Mims area for the war he anticipated with Spain. Jackson came frequently to visit and ate at her table. It was discovering my own Native American heritage that led to the writing of Swimming with Serpents (Mercer University Press, 2012) and Nest of Vipers (Mercer University Press, 2013). 
Who were these people who then became my people? Why did they fight that war? What happened to them once that war was over? Ironically, my grandmother’s first cousin was Chief James Vann of the Cherokee Indians whose land was confiscated by the Georgians that was litigated in the case where Andrew Jackson made his famous proclamation "John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!" In 1838, her kin were sent on the Trail of Tears. Her own family hid their heritage and it has taken six generations to rediscover it. 
As in the song, I am one of that blood and I have become a voice to speak out of the silence in my Serpents series of novels. 
 _______________________________________________________________________________

Creek Mary's Blood, Nightwish and John Two Hawks

I discovered the most beautiful music today. Nightwish performing "Creek Mary's Blood" with John Two Hawks is simply magnificent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&amp...
Nightwish
Creek Mary's Blood lyricsSongwriters: HOLOPAINEN, TUOMAS LAURI JOHANNES
Soon I will be here no more
You'll hear my tale
Through my blood
Through my people
And the eagle's cry
The bear within will never lay to rest

Wandering on Horizon Road
Following the trail of tears

White man came
Saw the blessed land
We cared, you took
You fought, we lost
Not the war but an unfair fight
Sceneries painted beautiful in blood

Wandering on Horizon Road
Following the trail of tears
Once we were here
Where we have lived since the world began
Since time itself gave us this land

Our souls will join again the wild
Our home in peace and war and death

Wandering on Horizon Road
Following the trail of tears
Once we were here
Where we have lived since the world began
Since time itself gave us this land

Wandering on Horizon Road
Following the trail of tears
Once we were here
Where we have lived since the world began
Since time itself gave us this land
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/n/ni... ]
Hanhepi iyuha mi ihanbla hinni yelo
Òn sunkmanitutankapi hena,
Sunkawakanpi watogha hena,
Oblaye t' ankapi oihankesni hena
T' at' epi kin asni kiyasni he akatanhanpi iwankal
Oblaye t' anka kin
Osicesni mitakuyepi òn
Makoce kin wakan
WakanTanka kin òn
Miwicala ohinni - Hanhepi iyuha kici - Anpetu iyuha kici yelo
Mi yececa hehaka kin yelo, na ni yececa sunkmanitutankapi
Kin ka mikaga wowasaka isom
Uncinpi tuweni mitaku keyas ta k' u
Unwakupi e' cela e wiconi wanji unmakainapi ta yelo
Anpetu waste e wan olowan le talowan winyan ta yelo
Unwanagi pi lel e nita it' okab o ta ye
Untapi it' okab o' ta
Na e kte ena òn hanska ohakap
Ni itansni a' u nita ni ihanke yelo

("I still dream every night
Of them wolves, them mustangs,
Those endless prairies
The restless winds over mountaintops
The unspoilt frontier of my kith n'kin
The hallowd land of the
Great Spirit
I still believe
In every night
In every day
I am like the caribou
And you like the wolves that
Make me stronger

We never owed you anything
Our only debt is one life
For our Mother

It was a good day to chant this song
For Her
Our spirit was here long before you
Long before us
And long will it be after you
Pride brings you to your end")

© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.Listen to the YouTube clip of their performance and let your heart respond -- and remember. 

The Benediction and the M word

I went to the dermatologist in June and he zapped and sliced away. I left feeling relieved. By checking out the consequences of my many years in the sun, I had taken control of my health. And then what I thought was just the product of the zapping and slicing that was having a hard time healing  turned crusty and seemed to be getting bigger. It was the "crusty" word my husband used that sent me back to the dermatologist as a work-in. He said, "That's coming off. You did a good thing coming on back in."
Neither of us used the "M" word, but it loomed large there before us. When he patted me on the shoulder and said, "Sweet Sharman" in a voice too like a benediction for my comfort, I started hoping to see the light at Krispy Kreme flash HOT NOW. I needed a hot chocolate cream filled donut. Anyone who's got to face a long weekend to find out the results of a test like that deserves a hot chocolate glazed cream filled Krispy Kreme. It wasn't flashing when I passed on the way home.
When they diagnosed my Aunt Elizabeth with lung cancer that had metastasized to the bone they put her on a diet. I mean really! If there is ever a time not to diet, it is when you get bad news, I would think. As Erma Bombeck said, "Think of all those ladies on the Titanic that waved away the dessert tray!" 
Diet? That is the time that you ought to eat whatever your heart desires and you have denied yourself for your entire lifetime. Bring on the comfort food!
 All of us get those tests and then we must wait for what seems an eternity for the results. I am a half full person --except when it comes to medical tests. I always plan for the worst and then can experience relief when it is nothing. But, when it is something, I am prepared. 
I figure it doesn't hurt to give my will a bit of attention. 
I am struck with how easy it is to give advice to others when trouble strikes. Will I remember those words? This may not be THE TIME. But it is a trial run. Life is fleeting at its longest as every genealogist learns being awed by number and accomplishments of those who have come before.
Since the results will not be known until Monday, I have postponed calling ahead to find out the time for the HOT NOW light to next appear and therefore have NOT indulged in the aforesaid hot chocolate cream filled donut. I mean, I may get good news and the truth is there simply is not room enough in my stretch pants for me and a hot chocolate cream filled donut.
I could buy bigger pants.
It is funny the things you think about when the possibility of cancer looks you in the eye. You pray to have the courage to face whatever comes. You think about preparing those you love for life without you. You want to finish projects that may make a difference and give your life meaning. 
You talk to God in a more immediate way. He seems closer somehow. 

Halflings

I have been trying to find an old friend for several years now. She, Sue Cronkite (former editor of Wiregrass Today and fellow writer), her sister-in-law, Heather, and I went to New Orleans to a Romance Writers Conference at least twenty years ago. We all shared a room and had a wonderful time. Melodie Adams was already writing novels then mainly for Harlequin. She was one of the best writers I had ever known though many people look down their noses at Harlequin writers, those little books take a lot of skill to do well. Her characters came alive on the page and I was truly impressed with her skill. 
Melodie introduced to Bill Dailey, who, along with Janet Dailey, encouraged her and helped her along. We also met her agent, Rob Cohen, at that meeting. Heather, her sister-in-law was just getting into writing then. 
So, in the process of searching for Melodie, I discovered Heather Burch, definitely Melodie's sister-in-law because she mentions her in the dedication of a book online. Heather has gone prime time with a Christian book series for young adults that reminds on of the Twilight series. http://www.heatherburchbooks.com/
Some of you may have known Heather or Melodie while they were living in Dothan years ago. You will find Heather's books and her story interesting.

For Greater Glory

My husband and I went to see Andy Garcia's most recent movie, "For Greater Glory." It is hard to believe that the events upon which the movie is based, Mexico’s Cristero War (1926-29), took place less than one hundred years ago right on our nation's doorstep. What is even more incredible is how the motivations behind the actions of governments and people of that time can so easily be mirrored in our own times. 
As I watched this gripping drama of people having to defend their most sacred beliefs with their very lives, I could not help but wonder which of those characters best represents me. The main character in the novel is a young boy whose faith inspires the general who leads the Cristeros against the government forces determined to secularize society. The United States wants the support of the Mexican government for their petroleum interests and provides air support and machine guns to use against the determined Catholics. Images of followers of Christ strung up on poles along the railroad, priests shot for wearing their hassocks and performing the rites of their faith, and children being killed and tortured remain in one's memory long after the last scene of the movie. 
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it," wrote George Santayana.
I highly recommend this thought provoking movie.

Welcome to Panama City

I had the privilege of hosting a Welcome to Panama City party for my daughter-in-law Saturday along with dear friends Kristina Williams and Emmalyn Smith. Moving into a new town can be intimidating and with a new baby it is difficult to get out and make new friends.So, my friends and I put our heads together and invited some young women with children the age of Brittany and Drew's to help her get adjusted to her new home. 

Kristina, Crystal, Suzanne, Ashley, Cecily, Brittany and Pam

 
We greeted our guests with wine and punch, served chicken salad in a white shell dish, Emmalyn's apricot congealed salad, tomatoes, watermelon and canteloupe slices and Basketcase carrot and raisin muffins, and finished things off with Kristina's specialty -- strawberry cake. Although there were name tags on the table for the first course, we switched tables for dessert so that everyone would be with a different group for conversation. 
I happened to see Paula Deen make chicken salad the other day and so, inspired by her, I decided to make some also!I bought 2 rotisserie chickens at Sams and chopped them up. Paula said she always broiled her chickens rather than boiled them because they were moister that way. I figured I could cheat a little and buy them already not only broiled, but rotisseried! I remembered a delicious chicken salad that I had once that was made with a combination of sour cream and mayonnaise which I mixed together and added a squirt of mustard and a squeeze of lemon juice. I halved grapes, chopped some Fuji apples, and toasted some pecans with butter and crushed them with a marble herb grinder and with some salt and pepper, mixed it all together. 
Kristina made this delicious Strawberry cake: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pa...!!!!! Ingredients1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix1 (3-ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin1 (15-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed4 large eggs1/2 cup vegetable oil1/4 cup waterStrawberry cream cheese frosting, recipe followsStrawberry Cream Cheese Frosting1/4 cup butter, softened1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract7 cups confectioners' sugarFreshly sliced strawberries, for garnish, optionalDirectionsPreheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
For the frosting:
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and the strawberry extract. (The rest of the puree is leftover but can be used in smoothies or on ice cream for a delicious treat.) Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.
Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.
Miss Lily is our oldest grandchild and our fashion goddess. 
Sam, our youngest grandchild, is with Donna, his OTHER grandmother, and Alison, Kristina's mother and my new friend.

I had the privilege of hosting a Welcome to Panama City p...

I had the privilege of hosting a Welcome to Panama City party for my daughter-in-law Saturday along with dear friends Kristina Williams and Emmalyn Smith. Moving into a new town can be intimidating and with a new baby it is difficult to get out and make new friends.So, my friends and I put our heads together and invited some young women with children the age of Brittany and Drew's to help her get adjusted to her new home. 

Kristina, Crystal, Suzanne, Ashley, Cecily, Brittany and Pam

 
We greeted our guests with wine and punch, served chicken salad in a white shell dish, Emmalyn's apricot congealed salad, tomatoes, watermelon and canteloupe slices and Basketcase carrot and raisin muffins, and finished things off with Kristina's specialty -- strawberry cake. Although there were name tags on the table for the first course, we switched tables for dessert so that everyone would be with a different group for conversation. 
I happened to see Paula Deen make chicken salad the other day and so, inspired by her, I decided to make some also!I bought 2 rotisserie chickens at Sams and chopped them up. Paula said she always broiled her chickens rather than boiled them because they were moister that way. I figured I could cheat a little and buy them already not only broiled, but rotisseried! I remembered a delicious chicken salad that I had once that was made with a combination of sour cream and mayonnaise which I mixed together and added a squirt of mustard and a squeeze of lemon juice. I halved grapes, chopped some Fuji apples, and toasted some pecans with butter and crushed them with a marble herb grinder and with some salt and pepper, mixed it all together. 
Kristina made this delicious Strawberry cake: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pa...!!!!! Ingredients1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix1 (3-ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin1 (15-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed4 large eggs1/2 cup vegetable oil1/4 cup waterStrawberry cream cheese frosting, recipe followsStrawberry Cream Cheese Frosting1/4 cup butter, softened1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract7 cups confectioners' sugarFreshly sliced strawberries, for garnish, optionalDirections Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
For the frosting:
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and the strawberry extract. (The rest of the puree is leftover but can be used in smoothies or on ice cream for a delicious treat.) Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.
Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.
Miss Lily is our oldest grandchild and our fashion goddess. 
Sam, our youngest grandchild, is with Donna, his OTHER grandmother, and Alison, Kristina's mother and my new friend.

Red Letter Day

Today was a red letter day in my life. The Cultural Arts Center will be hosting the Book Launch for Swimming with Serpents. I had the most wonderful visit with Ann Cotton, the Director for this exceptional organization in our community. Jennifer Ayers, event planner extraordinaire, will be preparing hors d'oeuvres and wine will be available as well as a good old Baptist punch. 
There is an intimate room that will seat 100 with a stage, a super sound system and lighting.  Think black and white checkered floor, floor to ceiling windows, and chandeliers. Very chic. 
Be passionate about what you do, I have heard. And I am truly passionate about the story of these people and this time in our past. They are a forgotten people and it is a time most would rather slide over. But "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Today was a red letter day in my life. The Cultural Arts ...

Today was a red letter day in my life. The Cultural Arts Center will be hosting the Book Launch for Swimming with Serpents. I had the most wonderful visit with Ann Cotton, the Director for this exceptional organization in our community. Jennifer Ayers, event planner extraordinaire, will be preparing hors d'oeuvres and wine will be available as well as a good old Baptist punch. 
There is an intimate room that will seat 100 with a stage, a super sound system and lighting.  Think black and white checkered floor, floor to ceiling windows, and chandeliers. Very chic. 
Be passionate about what you do, I have heard. And I am truly passionate about the story of these people and this time in our past. They are a forgotten people and it is a time most would rather slide over. But "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."