My grandparents were Vaughn and Virgie Dye. They owned a store on Loving Rd. during that time frame according to my dad that has since passed on. I however can't see the children being turned away, that part may be fictional as well
My grandparents loved kids. Again the location is almost to the Fannin/ Union line.
I wrote Mr. Bill Prince, who lived in the area as well. I don't really understand all the particulars. The Woods family seems fairly certain that there was a store that was very near their cabin. It would not be the one that your grandparents owned.
Mr. Prince said this:
In our conversation with Richard and Kim, I mentioned that the store was owned by a man named Sullivan, Richard said that was the name of the store owner. Furthermore, it is several miles from the cabin site that we've identified to the Union County line, so far that the walks into Morganton that Bobby mentioned would have been extremely difficult to do in a day, especially if he was carrying something back to the cabin. It would have been at least a 15-mile round trip. The fact that Lonnie's mother identified the area as being just across Hemptown Creek from where his family lived is another indicator that we've located the cabin site correctly. I feel very confident about it.
I would like to ask if the store was fictional that they came upon? I know of only 1 store on Loving road and my Grandparents owned it. I will also say that the area my grandparents lived in also have residents with the last name of Woods. Just curious about this part of the story. Also if not fiction then the cabin would be located much further up Loving almost to the Fannin/Union Line. You need to also Google... The News Observer Blue Ridge Ga... Rev Paul Culpepper .Jan 26.1994. Read the article. Its in the Religion section.
Yes, I have copies of that article from Culpepper. Also, the store is not fictional, I don't think. I think there actually was a store on that road. The characters, of course, are fictionalized. I'm asking the family now....Would you mind telling me more about your grandparents?
Ms Ray. My name is Bob Thomas and I am 82 years of age and recall parts of this story from growing up in Morganton all my life. This story is being told by the induvduals that lived or relatives thar have heard of what occurred. Please do not change anything as this is based on memory of children that went through a horrific time. Please feel free to contact me as I would greatly like to speak with you reference this
Thank you for sharing this, Janisse. I agree that an addendum would be the way to proceed. THe story is so compelling!
Dr. Prince was my professor at Wesleyan College before he went to Furman. I recently lived in Morganton for five years, just a mile or so from where the cabin probably was. Small world!
Amazing how this story just keeps evolving; it's so alive! I vote for not changing the current content but adding an afterword with the new details and where they came from, much as you've told it here. That afterword can be updated each time more details come to light.
No need to change anything in the book. At least not this soon after publication. And nothing that is critical to the plot/storyline.
The conversation about an alleged buried baby is maybe more intresting. Maybe a chat room/community on FB for olks who interested is discussing more detsils of the story.
I think you should leave it as is. It is a fictional book. You could always add a postscript. I think the book is wonderful just as it is. I've gifted copies to several of my family members. I love the book.
Thank you. I need to follow my own advice one of these days. In my historical book, I laid out in the last chapter pieces of the history yet to be discovered. My readers responded and did their own sleuthing! I have blogged about the new info, which greatly impacts the history, but have never made a revision or appendix. I really do need to do that!
There are things far worse things than not knowing where the Eastern Continental Divide is located. I think there is only one location that I know of, where there is or was highway sign documenting that fact. On I-40 about 20 miles east of Asheville, NC is a location where the "Divide" is.. Rain falling east of there flows into the Catawba River watershed and west of the sign, rain water flows into the Swannanoa-French Broad- Tennessee-Ohio-Mississippi Rivers.
The NCDOT has done a great job of informing the traveling public of all the significant river watersheds that one is entering, while traveling across the state on major highways. For
example, in the nearly100 mile drive between Raleigh and Winston-Salem, the traveling public leaves the Neuse River watershed, enters the Cape Fear watershed, re-enters the Neuse, returns to the Cape Fear and finally enters the Yadkin River watershed.
I like the term "boomerang" My feeling is that you wrote "The Woods of Fannin County" with the best information available to you at the time. A friend of mine once attended a book signing of "Cold Mountain" and said that Charles Frazier was surprised with a comment from a reader who reminded him that "Golden Delicious" apples (I think I'm correct about the "Golden" part) did not exist in Civil War times. Knowing that bit of trivia doesn't lessen the impact of Cold Mountain from my perspective.
Within the past year I was contacted by a second cousin living 3,000 miles away in British Columbia. Wes is the grandson of my great-grandfather, John Karpow and is in process of compiling a family history. My great-grandfather had a mysterious past. When questioned about his family of origin and his formative years in Ukraine, he would reply, "There are some things you do not need to know." End of discussion. It is speculated that John Karpow was an orphan and life for orphans in Ukraine was harsh in the late 1800s. Knowing that possibility made "The Woods of Fannin County" all the more poignant for me.
He was a homesteader and unfortunately he settled on land once occupied by Cree First Nations People. Some of the land he once farmed is still in the family, although the owner lives in British Columbia. It was said that when he walked across the prairie to stake his homestead claim , he wore a bowler hat and carried a shovel for sampling the soil. On the 2 occasions that I've purchased a home, I brought a shovel and asked permission to check out the soil before proceeding any further. I felt like I was honoring my ancestor in doing so..
I love the idea of adding an appendix with the new information. If the parties give permission maybe you could include quotes or sections from the interview. In this way, your original text remains the same but you have the opportunity to clarify, correct, and illuminate with the new info. No matter what you decide, it’s a wonderful book that captures a time and place that most would assume disappeared long ago. So much food for thought.
I seem to recall a book from long ago 'The Education of Little Tree,' that was very popular, only to find out later that all the surrounding facts the author based it on, were untrue. But I remember that the "facts" in the story indeed did hold the story together.
Sounds like it, doesn’t it? But it facilely slides by the actual difficulty of recognizing what that energy is, how it is recognized beneath the surface, and in what almost neural way it exists. It’s not at all like the spring you find when you take a watch apart! Ah, the dangers of advice!
I agree with Linda. This is a work of fiction, hence you're not obligated to get all the facts straight. The important consideration is to have been faithful in reporting the reality these children experienced. That you did most convincingly.
It’s wonderful to have this community here to consider your question and provide such good feedback. Everyone understands the nature of your dilemma, replying thoughtfully and in the same spirit-- lucky you :) I’m with the (so far) minority encouraging a revision for accuracy, with a heads-up to readers e.g., ‘updated February 2023’ or some such.
I'm inclined to believe the creek does flow into the Gulf as the watersheds in Towns, Union and Fannin flow north into the Hiawassee River and dams/lakes are part of TVA. They eventually join the Tennessee River through Chattanooga just as Bill Prince's map indicates. I suppose any edits you make might indicate that the Woods family members believed it flowed to the Atlantic but maps indicate otherwise?
My grandparents were Vaughn and Virgie Dye. They owned a store on Loving Rd. during that time frame according to my dad that has since passed on. I however can't see the children being turned away, that part may be fictional as well
My grandparents loved kids. Again the location is almost to the Fannin/ Union line.
I wrote Mr. Bill Prince, who lived in the area as well. I don't really understand all the particulars. The Woods family seems fairly certain that there was a store that was very near their cabin. It would not be the one that your grandparents owned.
Mr. Prince said this:
In our conversation with Richard and Kim, I mentioned that the store was owned by a man named Sullivan, Richard said that was the name of the store owner. Furthermore, it is several miles from the cabin site that we've identified to the Union County line, so far that the walks into Morganton that Bobby mentioned would have been extremely difficult to do in a day, especially if he was carrying something back to the cabin. It would have been at least a 15-mile round trip. The fact that Lonnie's mother identified the area as being just across Hemptown Creek from where his family lived is another indicator that we've located the cabin site correctly. I feel very confident about it.
I would like to ask if the store was fictional that they came upon? I know of only 1 store on Loving road and my Grandparents owned it. I will also say that the area my grandparents lived in also have residents with the last name of Woods. Just curious about this part of the story. Also if not fiction then the cabin would be located much further up Loving almost to the Fannin/Union Line. You need to also Google... The News Observer Blue Ridge Ga... Rev Paul Culpepper .Jan 26.1994. Read the article. Its in the Religion section.
Yes, I have copies of that article from Culpepper. Also, the store is not fictional, I don't think. I think there actually was a store on that road. The characters, of course, are fictionalized. I'm asking the family now....Would you mind telling me more about your grandparents?
Ms Ray. My name is Bob Thomas and I am 82 years of age and recall parts of this story from growing up in Morganton all my life. This story is being told by the induvduals that lived or relatives thar have heard of what occurred. Please do not change anything as this is based on memory of children that went through a horrific time. Please feel free to contact me as I would greatly like to speak with you reference this
I would love to speak with you. I’ll be in touch to get your phone number privately.
Thank you for sharing this, Janisse. I agree that an addendum would be the way to proceed. THe story is so compelling!
Dr. Prince was my professor at Wesleyan College before he went to Furman. I recently lived in Morganton for five years, just a mile or so from where the cabin probably was. Small world!
Amazing how this story just keeps evolving; it's so alive! I vote for not changing the current content but adding an afterword with the new details and where they came from, much as you've told it here. That afterword can be updated each time more details come to light.
No need to change anything in the book. At least not this soon after publication. And nothing that is critical to the plot/storyline.
The conversation about an alleged buried baby is maybe more intresting. Maybe a chat room/community on FB for olks who interested is discussing more detsils of the story.
I think you should leave it as is. It is a fictional book. You could always add a postscript. I think the book is wonderful just as it is. I've gifted copies to several of my family members. I love the book.
Thank you. I need to follow my own advice one of these days. In my historical book, I laid out in the last chapter pieces of the history yet to be discovered. My readers responded and did their own sleuthing! I have blogged about the new info, which greatly impacts the history, but have never made a revision or appendix. I really do need to do that!
There are things far worse things than not knowing where the Eastern Continental Divide is located. I think there is only one location that I know of, where there is or was highway sign documenting that fact. On I-40 about 20 miles east of Asheville, NC is a location where the "Divide" is.. Rain falling east of there flows into the Catawba River watershed and west of the sign, rain water flows into the Swannanoa-French Broad- Tennessee-Ohio-Mississippi Rivers.
The NCDOT has done a great job of informing the traveling public of all the significant river watersheds that one is entering, while traveling across the state on major highways. For
example, in the nearly100 mile drive between Raleigh and Winston-Salem, the traveling public leaves the Neuse River watershed, enters the Cape Fear watershed, re-enters the Neuse, returns to the Cape Fear and finally enters the Yadkin River watershed.
Greg, I think the information campaign about watersheds sprang from the Riverkeeper movement. Another great boon, I agree.
I like the term "boomerang" My feeling is that you wrote "The Woods of Fannin County" with the best information available to you at the time. A friend of mine once attended a book signing of "Cold Mountain" and said that Charles Frazier was surprised with a comment from a reader who reminded him that "Golden Delicious" apples (I think I'm correct about the "Golden" part) did not exist in Civil War times. Knowing that bit of trivia doesn't lessen the impact of Cold Mountain from my perspective.
Within the past year I was contacted by a second cousin living 3,000 miles away in British Columbia. Wes is the grandson of my great-grandfather, John Karpow and is in process of compiling a family history. My great-grandfather had a mysterious past. When questioned about his family of origin and his formative years in Ukraine, he would reply, "There are some things you do not need to know." End of discussion. It is speculated that John Karpow was an orphan and life for orphans in Ukraine was harsh in the late 1800s. Knowing that possibility made "The Woods of Fannin County" all the more poignant for me.
Your great-grandfather's story sounds very intriguing.
He was a homesteader and unfortunately he settled on land once occupied by Cree First Nations People. Some of the land he once farmed is still in the family, although the owner lives in British Columbia. It was said that when he walked across the prairie to stake his homestead claim , he wore a bowler hat and carried a shovel for sampling the soil. On the 2 occasions that I've purchased a home, I brought a shovel and asked permission to check out the soil before proceeding any further. I felt like I was honoring my ancestor in doing so..
I love the idea of adding an appendix with the new information. If the parties give permission maybe you could include quotes or sections from the interview. In this way, your original text remains the same but you have the opportunity to clarify, correct, and illuminate with the new info. No matter what you decide, it’s a wonderful book that captures a time and place that most would assume disappeared long ago. So much food for thought.
Yes to an appendix. Great idea.
I seem to recall a book from long ago 'The Education of Little Tree,' that was very popular, only to find out later that all the surrounding facts the author based it on, were untrue. But I remember that the "facts" in the story indeed did hold the story together.
Oooh, that's a painful reminder. Was THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE published as a work of fiction? Do you remember?
It was initially published as autobiographical but after publication and after it being shown to be false, it is now sold as a novel.
only change what would carry "the story" along! If it's true to the energy in the story, add it. Otherwise not!
Great writerly advice.
Sounds like it, doesn’t it? But it facilely slides by the actual difficulty of recognizing what that energy is, how it is recognized beneath the surface, and in what almost neural way it exists. It’s not at all like the spring you find when you take a watch apart! Ah, the dangers of advice!
I agree with Linda. This is a work of fiction, hence you're not obligated to get all the facts straight. The important consideration is to have been faithful in reporting the reality these children experienced. That you did most convincingly.
Thank you, John.
It’s wonderful to have this community here to consider your question and provide such good feedback. Everyone understands the nature of your dilemma, replying thoughtfully and in the same spirit-- lucky you :) I’m with the (so far) minority encouraging a revision for accuracy, with a heads-up to readers e.g., ‘updated February 2023’ or some such.
I hear you, Julz. I too think that one detail should be corrected, albeit judiciously, and without fanfare.
I'm inclined to believe the creek does flow into the Gulf as the watersheds in Towns, Union and Fannin flow north into the Hiawassee River and dams/lakes are part of TVA. They eventually join the Tennessee River through Chattanooga just as Bill Prince's map indicates. I suppose any edits you make might indicate that the Woods family members believed it flowed to the Atlantic but maps indicate otherwise?
That's a smart way to go. Thank you!!!