Tinnin

Jasper S. Lee

Description

In this novel based on true events, a young woman experiences romance, hardships, and forgiveness while living in the South during the late nineteenth century.

It is Easter 1863 and fifteen-year-old Ellen Loretta Shepard is terrified she will be violated by one of the Union soldiers marching through her family’s Mississippi cotton plantation while on their way to battle. When they hear word that troops are approaching, the family members busy themselves hiding their valuables. A day later, the troops arrive and create havoc, but thankfully do not burn the plantation or violate Ellen or her sisters.

As the Civil War rages on, Ellen matures into a beautiful young woman who has now reached the age where she wishes to marry an honest and loving man. Unfortunately, good men are in short supply, and the ones she finds are more than twice her age and deemed unacceptable by her family. When she meets the charismatic Jasper Lee at a church event, Ellen eventually marries him, despite her father’s objections. But when he dies just six years later, Ellen is left to defend the estate he left her and raise their only son. Will she somehow find a way to move on and realize happiness once again?

In this novel based on true events, a young woman experiences romance, hardships, and forgiveness while living in the Deep South during the mid-to-late nineteenth century.

Sujets

• Civil War
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 13 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665728300
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Tinnin
A Family History Novel






JASPER S. LEE









Copyright © 2023 Jasper S. Lee.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.



Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Cover Image Credit:
Shepherd Plantation House
Patsy Cannon of Athens, Georgia

ISBN: 978-1-6657-3238-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-2830-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022919804



Archway Publishing rev. date: 1/12/2023



Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Special acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction

1 Fearful Anticipation
2 Scary Soldiers
3 Finding Romance
4 What Pa Told Ma (After a Private Talk with Jasper)
5 Families Joining and Dividing
6 Life with Jasper
7 Catastrophe
8 Theft and Integrity: Estate Action
9 Sister Reunion
10 Sweethearts and Traditions
11 A Big Decision
12 Adjustment to Return
13 Another Life
14 Family Progression
15 A New Household
16 Afterlife Presence

Epilogue



Dedication
With great pride, I lovingly dedicate this book to my granddaughter, Anna Delene. She is the person in my life who has many of the wonderful traits of the main character of this book, Ellen Loretta Shepard Lee. Anna Delene is the great-great-great granddaughter of Ellen. No doubt, Ellen would have adored Anna Delene.
Anna Delene, I wish you much success in life. May you enjoy learning about your ancestors and strive to make them proud in all that you do.



Acknowledgments
A number of people assisted in writing Tinnin . Some chose to consciously participate; others participated vicariously. Their contributions in this book came a century or so after their earthly demise. Others willingly participated in this book, as well as the earlier Return to Tinnin , published in 2017.
Among those who consciously helped in writing Tinnin are individuals who supported the work and helped to achieve an acceptable book. Emily Jahr of Savannah College of Art and Design is acknowledged for reading the manuscript and making useful suggestions. Thank you, Emily, for keeping my words straight and proper. You have always enthusiastically stepped forward to do what needs to be done to get a book “right!”
Four individuals are acknowledged here for their services:
• Ronnie McDaniel of Danville, Illinois, is acknowledged for his copy editing and other suggestions that improved the initial manuscript. This gentleman is an accomplished editor who has helped me in many ways with a number of books. Thank you!
• Jacqueline Frost Tisdale of Starkville, Mississippi, is acknowledged for her assistance in reviewing the manuscript and making important suggestions. She had additional insight by having grown up in Clinton, Mississippi, where Tinnin is located.
• Wally Warren of Clarkesville, Georgia, is acknowledged for reading the manuscript and providing helpful suggestions. No doubt, his extensive public library work served him well as a manuscript reader.
• Morgan Anglin of Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia, is acknowledged for reading the manuscript and providing useful suggestions.
Two professional genealogists are acknowledged here for their help with matters related to Tinnin :
• Anne Vanderleest assisted with considerable genealogical information and researching family history. She also served by reading and critiquing the book and providing useful suggestions for Tinnin . Anne is a genealogist who resides in Concord, North Carolina.
• Skip Duette, a professional genealogist, helped with a range of family history information and situations. His efforts helped assure that the author didn’t stray. He resides in Clifton Park, New York. I am proud to call him Cousin Skip!
A special thank you goes to retired attorney Ann Tipton of Sautee-Nacoochee, Georgia. Her assistance in finding, interpreting, and reporting old Texas court records was very useful. Her guidance was especially important on matters of estate probation.
Appreciation goes to all individuals who participated unconsciously by saving old letters, business forms, farm records, and similar information. These old documents provided nearly two centuries of insight into personal family information.
Many family members and friends encouraged me with this undertaking. Foremost among these is my wife, Delene. I thank her for her patience and help by reading the manuscript to assure that the story was as it should be. Overall, it is her encouragement that keeps me going!



Special acknowledgments
Special acknowledgment goes to artist Patsy Canon of Athens, Georgia. Her wonderful artistic skills resulted in a compelling watercolor picture of the plantation house. Thank you, Patsy, for your enthusiasm and effort in painting a picture of the Shepard home on the plantation. (The house was constructed in 1857 and served as a home for several generations. It was raised in 1998 for a gated residential subdivision for the city of Jackson, Mississippi.)
Acknowledgment also goes to Cousin Ellen Miller Gabardi for her assistance with family information. Gatherings at your home to talk with relatives were special.
Additional acknowledgment goes to Sydney Hemphill of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) for the preparation of art used throughout the book and the portrait of the author as used on the cover. Sydney hails from Lafayette, Louisiana. No doubt, she will have a highly successful career as a book illustrator.



Preface
Tinnin is a historical novel about the life of a girl who became a young adult in the South during and just after the US Civil War. The main character is Ellen Loretta Shepard, a cotton plantation owner’s daughter, who chose to marry a man named Jasper Henry Lee. This man had charisma and some ability for hard work but unknown personal qualities that made him suspect to her father.
After privately talking with Jasper, Ellen’s father gained information that resulted in him being disliked even more. Her father felt he was inappropriate to join the family. Rejection of her Jasper lasted until his untimely death after six years of marriage. Good times and bad times highlight a life of romance, love, and forgiveness.
Written by her great-grandson, the story is based on considerable research into family history. DNA analysis of descendants was a part of determining genetic family relationships. Online searches and visits to historical agencies yielded useful information. The services of professional genealogists were used in doing advanced research related to the Lee surname. A Lee Family History was prepared and used as a source of information. Hideaway places in the attic of the family plantation home built before the Civil War had trunks belonging to ancestors that yielded a trove of old letters, invoices, and similar documents. These provided a great deal of intimate insight into the life Ellen (1847–1918).
To the author, Ellen was a smart, attractive young woman who could have made a better decision about romance. Interestingly, if she had made a different choice, the Lee author would not be here to brag about her.



Introduction
Tinnin is a sequel (or some would say an update) to the previously published biographical novel entitled Return to Tinnin (2017). Both were about the life and times of a girl who became a young adult during the US Civil War in the Confederate States of America. Tinnin contains much more family detail about the man she married than was available in the earlier book.
The main character is Ellen Loretta Shepard Lee. Good times, and some that weren’t so good, highlighted her life. She approached the age at which she wished to marry when “good” men were in short supply. Many had been killed, severely injured, or had shipped away for military service. In a strong display of leadership and personal conviction for what was right, her father voted the Union ticket. How he voted, however, might have made them more vulnerable to the antics of the Confederate Army.
Considerable family research went into writing this story by Ellen’s great-grandson. Family history information stored in old trunks and boxes provided a wealth of information. DNA analysis was much a part of determining genetic family relationships. Online searches and visits to historical agencies yielded useful information.
This story is factual. In some cases, the nature of the times required a display of “how it likely was.” Readers may think of this as embellishment. The author used care to remain factual and present the situation as it was. Enjoy!

Ellen Loretta Shepard Lee
Born: September 7, 1847, on the Shepard Cotton Plantation in Tinnin, Hinds County, Mississippi
Died: March 21, 1918, in Tinnin, Mississipp