Return to Tinnin. Jasper S. Lee
Acknowledgements
Writing this book involved help from a number of people. Some who consciously participated; others did so unconsciously well after their demise.
First, those who consciously helped with the writing will be acknowledged. Ronnie McDaniel, Danville, Illinois, is acknowledged for his copy editing and other suggestions that improved the manuscript. (I was so fortunate to have the assistance of this long-experienced and highly qualified individual.) Three individuals are acknowledged for assistance in reviewing the manuscript: Jacqueline Frost Tisdale, Starkville, Mississippi (she grew up in Clinton); Wally Warren, Clarkesville, Georgia; and Morgan Anglin, Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville. The assistance of genealogist Anne Vanderleest, Brandon, Mississippi, in researching remote family history and being available to clarify situations is acknowledged.
Secondly, those who unconsciously helped by storing and otherwise retaining letters, legal documents, business receipts, and other papers is gratefully acknowledged. Without these documents, the book would have been impossible. The most important individual in this regard was Ellen Loretta Shepard Lee, the main character in the book. Others include George W. Shepard, Ira J. Lee, Doris Sloan Lee, and J. Henry Lee. Amazingly, the old trunk holding the treasure-trove of information was spared from being thrown away a number of times.
Thank you to all family and friends who encouraged me with this undertaking. A special thank you goes to my wife, Delene, for her patience and help by reading manuscript to assure the story was as it should be.
Special Acknowledgment
A special acknowledgment goes to Ellen Miller Gabardi for her assistance with the image on the cover, entitled Old Home Place (referred to in the book as the Shepard Home). The artist, Ginny Futvoye, is acknowledged for creating a wonderful memory. The painting was prepared in oil on wood. A side note is that Ellen Miller Gabardi is the Great Great Granddaughter of Ellen Loretta Shepard.
For information about this book, contact the author by email at: [email protected]
Dedication
This book is dedicated to the author's granddaughter, Anna Delene. She is the person in the author's life with so many of the wonderful traits of the main character in this book, Ellen Loretta Shepard Lee. Anna Delene is the great, great, great granddaughter of Ellen. No doubt, Ellen would have adored Anna Delene.
I wish you, Anna Delene, much success in life. May you enjoy learning about your ancestors and strive to make them proud in all that you do.
Foreword
Return to Tinnin is a biographical novel about the life of a girl who became a young adult in the South during the U.S. Civil War. The main character is Ellen Loretta Shepard Lee. Good times and bad times highlight her life of family, poverty, romance, success, failure, compassion, faith, and love.
Written by her great-grandson, the story is based on considerable research into family history. DNA analysis was a part of determining genetic family relationships. Online searches and visits to historical agencies yielded useful information. Most of all, the attic of the family residence built before the Civil War had a deteriorating trunk that, when opened, yielded a trove of old letters, invoices, and other documents. These provided a great deal of intimate insight into the hardships, joys, and family experiences of Ellen (1847-1918). No doubt to the author, she was a smart, attractive young woman who might possibly have made a better decision about romance, but if she had made a different choice, the author would not be here to brag about her.
Scary Soldiers
"Preacher Hoyle, so good to have you here with us for dinner on this glorious Easter Sunday. You certainly had a powerful message at Mason Chapel this morning about principles of salvation and human love. It was the perfect message for this 1863 Easter. I am sure glad you didn't preach about saving souls from eternal life in the hot fires of hell. Some folks in the congregation sure needed to hear about salvation and love. I was one of them," stated Pa George Shepard.
Ma (George's wife, Sarah) spoke: "Preacher, you are amazing and a real blessing in our community. Here, have another piece of chicken. There are still some 'good' pieces left: a couple of breasts and thighs and a wishbone. The children have plenty on another plate (wings, necks, backs, gizzards, hearts, and feet). I dressed three broilers yesterday. You know, it takes a good bit to feed a family of this size." So goes southern dinner-cooking with the Shepard family, Easter Sunday 1863, on a Tinnin, Mississippi, farm.
Pa spoke up, "You know, Preacher, I am very concerned about this war. I hear that more troops are heading toward Vicksburg for a big battle. They might come through here. Many men have all ready died or been seriously hurt. We have lost so much property to the destructive troops as they moved through. Why can't we get along in harmony?" With that, Preacher Hoyle responded, "I agree. We need peace and to learn how to get along with each other."
As Ma started passing the plate of remaining fried chicken, the sounds of a horse's hooves could be heard rapidly coming down the long hill moving toward the house. Pa went to the porch on the front of the house. It faced the dirt trail, where dust was in the air from the hooves. The rider, somewhat out of breath, shouted to Pa George that the "Union troops are on the way and will be here tomorrow. The company is about 100 soldiers. And, there may be more." Afterward, the horse and rider sped back up the hill, kicking up even more dust. As many people as possible in the Tinnin community were going to be alerted about the future arrival of the soldiers, and precautions taken to assure safety of families and their property. After all, they had already had Confederate and Union forces to come through, and both were about equally abusive.
George knew some of what had to be done, but he didn't know that his oldest daughter, Ellen, had come to the porch behind him. Ellen, trembling and with tears in her eyes, said, "Pa, what are we going to do? The presence of troops scares me. You know, I am 15 years old. Do you think one of them will take advantage of me? I want to save my 'specialness' until my wedding night; that is important to me and what I have been taught as being right. And, Pa, some men at the Ratliff Store are already looking at me with a gleam in their eyes. You and Ma were married when she was 14, and I was born when she was 15. So..."
Pa replied to Ellen, "Not in my presence will any soldier lay an eye on you. I will shoot straight into the face of anyone who does so in a lustful way." That soothed Ellen a bit, but she knew each soldier had a gun better than Pa's rarely used old double barrel. Pa further said, "Don't let any of those scums at the Ratliff Store touch you either. I will speak to your Grandfather Ratliff about this."
Pa went back to the dining table with Preacher Hoyle, Ma, and Ma's parents, Zachariah and Susan Tinnin Ratliff. Sarah had invited her parents to join them for an Easter meal with the preacher. Ellen went back to the children's table with her seven siblings. (As the oldest child, Ellen was the unofficial leader of the children's table.) Pa announced what the rider had said. "And," he continued, "we just had a Union field artillery company here two weeks ago. They discarded bullets and one cannon ball. Why again?"
Preacher Hoyle immediately said, "I've got to go. It takes at least 15 minutes on horseback to get back to my home in Clinton. I hope I don't run into the soldiers on the way." He grabbed his worn Bible, ran outside, unhitched his horse, and jumped on its back. The horse went up the hill trail faster than the messenger who had brought the word.
Ma was disappointed that Preacher Hoyle left so quickly. "You know," Ma said, "he didn't even say thank you, have a prayer, or anything. He ran."