Red clay running waters, p.67
Red Clay, Running Waters, page 67
About 80 percent of the research that goes into a work of this scale ends up on the cutting room floor. Much as I may have wished to include some of what did land there, to do so would have produced a book as large as War and Peace. In the interest of making the story more widely known, sacrifices had to be made. There were, in actuality, two episodes of illness while John Ridge was in Cornwall, one before the Northrops’ arrival, and the debilitating one in the story. Additionally, John sought permission twice to wed Sarah from his mother. Her first reply was a refusal. Sadly, the visit from the Golds to the Cherokee Nation in 1827-28, while interesting and meaningful, did not make the cut.
Another storyline I regrettably sacrificed was of the presence of the enslaved person Doll and her children in the Ridge’s lives. Again, Tiya Miles has written an exception piece of historical research in her work, Ties That Bind, in revealing the interracial family who were such a significant part of the Ridge’s lives. I cannot recommend reading it highly enough.
One other deviation from the accurate is the location of Chief Pathkillers grave at the end of the story. While his farm once was near Willstown, he is buried at New Echota.
Spellings and dates of birth and death are subject to contradictions in the records. For example, birthdates for John vary. Sophia Sawyer’s grave marker says 1854, although she actually died in 1853. Similarly, where various dates for birth (Sallie, John’s sister, for instance, has two dates, 1810 and 1814), I have been obliged to make a choice. I chose 1810 for the story. A few of John’s and Sarah’s children have conflicting dates as well. Likewise, dates for some events may have been modified slightly, such as the exact date of the Catlin exhibit in New York, which may not align with when his work was shown there, but the timeframe is close to when the exhibit actually took place.
Of interest to some may be the fact that the names of the steamboats carrying the Cherokee boys up the Hudson did bear the names portrayed in the story Hope and Perseverance. Additionally, identification of Standing Peach Tree as the metropolis of Atlanta may be of interest. It is unlikely John’s party actually travelled through there on the way to Cornwall, but it’s possible, and it made for a good setting.
The equivalent value of money in contemporary terms may also put some things into a modern perspective for the reader. One dollar in 1825 is now equivalent to over thirty dollars today. When the speeches at Park Street Church in Boston raised $8,000 for the Cherokee’s defence in 1832, that would be close to $300,000 today.
The campaign initiated by Jeremiah Evarts suggestion to Catherine Beecher, for Christian women to petition Congress on behalf of the Indians is historically the first example of a collective campaign by women (using the US Postal Service) to lobby Congress. Women held meetings to garner signatures, sending chain mail petitions around their communities, flooding Washington with hundreds of signatures (male and female) against the Indian Removal act.
We owe the ambivalent Thomas McKenney’s interest in America’s Indians a significant debt for the Superintendent’s continuing to have Native American delegation members painted. While most of the original paintings regrettably burned in a fire at the Smithsonian in 1865, McKenney had long ago had the images redrawn as lithographs and printed in a folio that is still available for purchase today.
Many of the places mentioned in Red Clay Running Waters still exist today. Obviously, the cities remain, but it should also be noted, so does New Echota, the former Cherokee Capital, in the form of a Georgia historic state park; the Red Clay Council Grounds in Tennessee, is also a state park. Ridge’s Ferry, now Chieftain’s Museum in Rome Ga., remains, and is open to the public. Running Waters is a private residence and continues as a farm today. The Ridge House, Fayetteville Arkansas’s oldest house, still stands just off the downtown square.
I would encourage readers to explore the many historic works and sites related to the Cherokee and Native American Communities homelands, east and west of the Mississippi, including the routes and locations memorialized along the Trail of Tears that runs east of the Mississippi to the Midwest. I would also encourage anyone to learn more about this very turbulent period of American History, and the people who shaped the Antebellum era.
What once was a spark-turned-to-passion, has now become my life’s work. I am most grateful for the generous gifts, and the kindness from strangers received during the experience in writing Red Clay, Running Waters. I acknowledge and am humbled by all the blessings and learnings handed down from the past.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The web of connections and debts owed on this work are far reaching and have been lifechanging.
Since it is always best to start at the beginning, I must first acknowledge my mother, who instilled a passion for history and different cultures in me from my earliest days. Without the curiosity and touchstones she gifted me, this book would not exist.
A close second would be my husband of forty years. The year we met was the year I also crossed paths with this story. Over the years, Jim has given his insights, his tireless patience, and thoughtful dedication to this work. Without his support and encouragement, riding the waves with me, this story would not have been born.
There are so many touchpoints, influences, and generous communities connected to this work, but the ancestral touchpoints are probably the most meaningful to me. In 1999 Nancy Brown, John’s and Sarah’s five-time great-granddaughter generously extended the hand of friendship and shared her vast store of family knowledge. That same year, I met Paul and Dottie Ridenour at an event at the Chieftains Museum. This chance meeting cemented my commitment to this work and opened Pandora’s box to the Ridge’s lives. Dottie is descended from John’s sister Sallie and is The Ridges’ four times great-granddaughter. Paul’s diligence in capturing family genealogy became a prized resource about the Ridge, Boudinot and Northrop families and I am most grateful for Ridenour’s efforts in building the historical record. A million thanks to them all for keeping that information available as well as their support for this project over the many years.
Reaching out to the Ridge family’s descendants puts deep roots in my connection to this story. Additionally, thanks go to Rebecca Luebker (John’s and Sarah’s six-times great-granddaughter) for also extending the hand of friendship and for her encouragement to tell, one of the many stories to be told about the family’s place in history. We both agree–the time has come for the conversation to be had.
Many works have been written on the people and events leading to the expulsion of the First Nations from their ancestral lands. The bibliography for this novel numbers over three hundred entries. An abbreviated bibliography is available under the Resources section of my website. www.leslieksimmons.com. Historians such as Thurman Wilkens, William McGlothlin, James Mooney, Robert Remini and Theda Purdue, are the cornerstones of this historical landscape. Non-fiction writers like John Sedgwick, who have taken a fresh look at the Ridge-Ross factions in his work Blood Moon have also contributed. Significant inspiration came from the work of Tiya Miles, The House on Diamond Hill, and Ties That Bind. Her illuminating books give brilliant insights into Cherokee society and the enslaved people among the Cherokee, along with the character of Pleasant.
I am indebted to those gracious and generous authors who supported, encouraged and considered this story worthy of their endorsement, Rilla Askew, David Marrion Wilkinson, Susan Higgenbotham, Jodi Daynard, John Sedgewick and Greg Fields.
Individual editors deserve recognition: Lauren Hughes, who kicked my butt and made me restructure my entire manuscript (a couple of times), Greg Fields, who polished the piece with thoughtfulness and understanding, accompanied by words of praise that were hard to believe. And lastly, Joe Coccaro who gave my words clarity and power, and made John and Sarah come to life. Thank you for your skills, patience, and insights.
Without the discovery of K.M. Wieland and James Scott Bell, this work would simply be pages of notes with no story. As I taught myself how to write a novel, their guideposts helped right the ship.
A large, generous, welcoming group of dedicated historical fiction writers and readers in the virtual sphere have been a source of encouragement, willingly sharing huge stores of knowledge. The Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) has been an invaluable resource for this older debut author. The American Historical Novels Facebook group welcomed me onto their team, giving me opportunities to express my views, collaborate, and connect with readers and writers. As remotely as I live, my virtual groups are of great importance to me, as are the virtual friends I have made.
Author Heather Miller and I exchanged research and our passion for the Ridge family’s story over the years, as we have both traveled in John and Sarah’s footsteps on our road to publication.
Beta readers deserving of special acknowledgment are Linda Baker, Secretary to the Georgia Trail of Tears Association, who has steadfastly read too many drafts with typos, pointed me to resources, and become a friend across the planet, for which I am most grateful. She has always believed in this story, and our recent meeting in person at the places of such great importance to this story was a milestone for both of us., And Danielle Apple, who shares a similar passion for the Ridge story, A host of other early readers helped shape what the story is today.
My publisher, John Koehler, deserves kudos for taking a chance on this massive book from an unknown writer and for providing a collaborative environment in which to bring the book to the world. I am so fortunate to have found Koehler Books to take John and Sarah’s story to the world.
Silly as it now sounds, I also have to thank the existence of the internet. One of the reasons this book took so long was my inability to go to where the information was. You had to go to the place where the documents existed to do your research when I began. Without organizations and funding for digitization, such as the work done by Hathi Trust and other institutions who make original sources readily available, this work would still be in a drawer.
I would be remiss if I also did not acknowledge all those who work in or contribute to historical societies such as the Cornwall Historical Society, the Washington County Historical Society, the historical sites like New Echota State Park, Red Clay State Park, the Chieftain’s Museum, the Trail of Tears Association, and all those involved in historic preservation in whatever form. Views can change over time, one person at a time, as long as someone keeps what should not be forgotten alive.
Leslie K. Simmons, Red Clay, Running Waters
