Talkshow Thursday: Welcome back Sheila Ingle

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome back Sheila Ingle

Linda:  Welcome back to my blog. Thanks for joining me today. Your book Tales of a Cosmic Possum is a biography of your husband’s family. For those who haven’t visit before: why did you decide to write the book, and how did you come up with the title?

Sheila: When John and I were dating, he took me to visit some of his relatives in Union, SC. They were delightful and welcomed me to their family. As the years passed, he started telling me stories about his growing up in Ingle Holler. His grandfather and grandmother Ingle moved down from Tennessee to work in the cotton mills early in the 20^th century. They left the Appalachia Mountains to make better lives for their family of eight, but they brought the mountain ways, folklore, and music with them.

My grandparents, on my mother’s side, were also from the mountains in North Carolina. I fell in love with books like Christy by Catherine Marshall and read it several times. The simple lifestyles of these people fascinated me. Their lives were hard, but their faith was stronger.

At family reunions, the women talked endlessly about those days of working in the mills and raising a family. As I listened to John’s retell similar stories through the years and went to many funerals of his parent’s generation, I realized that their narratives were being lost.

The mills closed. Some burned, and others were vandalized after the looms were shut down. Investors bought and refurbished in some cases, but, for the most part, weeds and weather suffocated the remnants.

Finally, it dawned on me that I had a walking-talking storyteller in my house, and his stories were part of our history. I started interviewing John, his brother, and his cousins. I was entertained and intrigued by his family and thought others might be, also. Choosing eight of the women as main characters, I wrote about their strengths to make something out of nothing, their favorite songs, jobs in the mills, and their love for their families.

Sharyn McCrumb is another favorite author of mine; she writes about Appalachia. In one of her books, she used the term. Then I found Jane Hicks’ poem “How We Became Cosmic Possums.” It describes a “first generation off the ridge or out of the holler.”  I realized I was married to a cosmic possum who had shared his tales with me for over 30 years. The title of the book was a totally accurate and personal description of the short stories.

LM: What is your favorite vignette from the book?

Sheila: Annie Mae Bobo was one of John’s aunts; she ran a boarding house during the Depression. She rented out four rooms with double occupancy and served three meals a day for $1 weekly. She took care of the bachelors who stayed there and worked in the cotton mills. Eggs, grits, bacon, and biscuits were served most mornings, and she packed a lunch for the men to take for lunch. Supper was another home cooked meal with more biscuits.

 One of her rules for living was “do right by the good Lord, hep yer own kin, hep others ye meet along the way.” And she lived this out by helping the many hobos that stopped by her house on the way to find work, making room for family when they visited, and being a strong support at her church, Green Street Methodist. I was fascinated by her stamina and her heart.

Researching about the hobos that crisscrossed our nation during this era opened my eyes to another part of our history. These men, women, and children begged for food, lodging, and work. Annie Mae always had a pot of Luzianne coffee on the back burner of her stove and something to eat to those who stopped at her house. The story goes that one morning she gave away her children’s breakfast to two hoboes and then had to cook more for her own.

When I met her the first time, she had long retired. She had baked a fresh coconut cake that morning and served it to us with coffee. Whether she knew company was coming to visit or not, she was always prepared.

About fifteen years before, John had lived with her for about a year after he was discharged from the Navy. She was a natural at “helping” others.

LM: In addition to Cosmic Possum you’ve written a series of fiction books about women during the Revolutionary War. How was the written/research process different for Cosmic Possum than the other books? The same?

Sheila: Researching the Revolutionary War in South Carolina was intense. Basically, I knew nothing, except from some historical fiction I had written. So I started from scratch. Besides reading, I ^th century. Reading biographies, poems, cook books, diaries, nonfiction, and fiction about the time helped give me a sense of the time. I also visited some of the battle sites we have here in SC and even spent eight weeks one summer working at the Cowpens National Battlefield.

attended reenactments and historical sites to get a sense of the time. I tried to immerse myself into the 17

Writing the Tales was quite different. I was more organized and intentional with what I was doing. I knew I wanted to describe one day in one woman’s life and decided to include one song/hymn that was special to her. Other than that, I depended on interviewing the family about what they remembered. I asked many questions, took notes, and asked more questions. I guess John is the storyteller for his generation; he seemed to remember more than the others. Since the family loved the Grand Ole Opry and listened to it on a weekly basis, I did research on it. Also, I had to learn about how the mill workers turned a bale of hay into cloth. We have a cotton museum in the lower part of the state that I visited to get a visual of this process.

Again, life in a cotton mill village was a part of our history that I knew little about, but I did know many of the people and had visited with them. The short stories cover life between 1904-1949. Since a lot was happening in our country during those years, it was easy to include facts about how life was then.

LM: What drew you to the Revolutionary War time period?

Sheila: I was and am a member of four lineage societies, and the first one I joined was the Daughters of the American Revolution. One of my Revolutionary War ancestors, Thomas Davis, fought and was taken captive in the SC Battle of Waxhaws. The Southern Campaign was fought mainly in SC with Francis Marion, Andrew Pickens, and Thomas Sumter leading the militia. The manor house of the Charles and Mary Moore house, built in 1760, is on the other side of town from us. It was a visit to this home called Walnut Grove that started this journey of writing about SC heroines. I have always loved history and enjoy walking where it happened. The protagonist of my first Revolutionary War book lived there. At age 55, all suddenly worked together to lead me toward that time in our history.

LM: What is the quirkiest thing you’ve ever done?

Sheila: Oh, Linda, that is funny. I am so not quirky! Probably too predictable and boring. I did throw a cooking pot at the wall one time, because I was angry at my mother for something she had said. It had water in it and is still a bit bent. It surprised both John and me that I literally “flew off the handle.” Laughter at my strange behavior was my response to what I did. (That took some resurrecting in my mind. I do know I have never thrown another pot, but I wonder what else I have forgotten!)

LM: Here are some quickies:

Sheila:

Mountains or Ocean for a vacation: I have never gotten over the love of the ocean. Daddy and Mother took us to Litchfield for a week every year, and the beach is still my go-to place for a deep breath.

Sweet or Salty for a snack: Love trail mix, because it has both.

Coffee or tea as your “go-to” drink: Coffee, please.

Summer, Spring, Winter or Fall as your favorite season: Spring and its flowers make me smile

LM: What is your next project?

Sheila: I have started writing a book about a Huguenot woman who emigrated to Carolina in 1685. From a blog post I wrote on her last year, I ended up being asked to speak about her at two events. Then I saw the original letter, written in French, that she wrote her brother in Germany in 1698 in a SC museum, and she captured me. Once again, I am pursuing a new century that includes the Three Musketeers, the Sun King, a voyage across the Atlantic in a small ship, and the very beginning of my birthplace, Charleston, SC.

LM: Where can folks find you on the web?

Sheila: 

Website: http://www.sheilaingle.com

Twitter: @sheilaingle1

Facebook: Sheila Ingle, Author

Goodreads: www:goodreads.com/author_sheila_ingle

Thank you, Linda, for asking me to put on my thinking cap for a while this afternoon. 😊

About Tales of a Cosmic Possum:

Sheila Ingle's husband John was brought up in Ingle Holler in Union, South Carolina with eight other Ingle families. They worked together in the mills, shared their gardens, attended church, and enjoyed the playing and singing of the songs from the Grand Old Opry, When five of the brothers went off to war, those who couldn't fight took care o their families. The Ingles stuck together, just like they were taught in the Appalachian Hills of Erwin, Tennessee.

Love of God, love of family, and love of country were modeled in each home. In face, one year Make Ingle put his sons and grandsons together to build Hillside Baptist Church. Adults kept up with the newspapers and the radios; world happenings were important. Any type of sickness brought a barrage of soup and cornbread, because children sill had to eat.

On those twenty acres, the children played in the creek, cowboys and Indians, and hide-and-seek. They build their own wagons and sleds to race down the hill on the dry, hickory leaves. All the boys learned to shoot a .22 caliber, and John's mother Lois could light a match with her shots.

Living in Ingle Holler was home, where each one was accepted.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/2HTQhbb

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome back, Sheila Ingle!

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome back, Sheila Ingle!

Linda:  Welcome back to my blog. Thanks for joining me today. Your book Tales of a Cosmic Possum is a biography of your husband’s family. Why did you decide to write the book, and how did you come up with the title?

Sheila: John and I have been married 39 years, and I believe this book has been in the works that long. His heritage is the Appalachia mountains of Tennessee. When his grandfather left his holler, he moved to South Carolina to join the work force at a cotton mill. The family brought their customs and traditions with them. Growing up in the city, I knew nothing about life in a mill town. When we met, I quickly learned the differences. Listening to the dialect, being introduced to country music, and listening to their stories truly expanded my horizons. 

The book Christy by Catherine Marshall came alive to me when John and I drove to Cutter’s Gap/aka Morgan’s Gap where we met the son of the woman who took Christy’s place as the school teacher. I finally realized it was time to tell the stories of the Ingle women. In one of Sharon McCrumb’s books, she writes of a cosmic possum, and Jane Hicks defines it in her poem, “How We Became Cosmic Possums.” When I read both of these, I realized I was married to a cosmic possum. John is one of those whose roots are Appalachian, but who has gone on to become educated without losing his mountain heritage.

LM: Research is important in any writing, but especially for non-fiction. How did you go about finding the information you needed?

Sheila: Interviewing John, his brother, and his cousins was my primary source; their memories of their growing up in Ingle Holler is still phenomenal. I learned about the different jobs in the mills through videos, the Greenville Museum, who has dedicated space to this lifestyle, reading descriptions of the mill villages and books of this era. The mills themselves are no longer in use, but their stories are still being told. Newspaper articles also were a help. Yes, to viewing the Pacolet River that flooded and refurbished, four room mill houses. 

Our public library was a solid source of both photos and text. Also, choosing to have the setting for each story to be part of one day in a particular year helped with choosing what history details to include. e.g. Annie Mae owned the boarding house during the Depression, and the family talked about how she reached out to hoboes. Since I knew nothing about hoboes or their lives, I was fascinated to research them.

LM: On your website, you indicate the Revolutionary era is your favorite. What draws you to that time period?

Sheila: Because of my grandmother’s enthusiasm for genealogy and family history, she became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, as well as several other lineage societies. She enjoyed telling my brother and me about those early settlers and how they fought for our freedom. I caught this time as being important to my history. As an English teacher, I taught literature from an historical perspective, including information about the government, music, lifestyles, etc. I am/was convinced that we learn well through immersion into a period, not by memorization. 

After joining a DAR chapter here in Spartanburg, I went to visit Walnut Grove, an historic home built before the Revolution. It was in walking where the heroine walked and listening to the docent that I realized that there are few stories about the heroines of the American Revolution. So I decided to fill that gap with a book about Kate Moore Barry, a 18^th century woman who lived less that five miles from where I grew up. From then on, I was hooked by this time period. Visiting reenactments and watching the reenactors live out the lives of those years, touring houses, plantations, churches, and civic buildings in my state of SC kept me learning, also. 

The fact that most of the heroines were unknown filled me with a quest to share their stories. This time is the beginning of our nation, and we need to pass down to the next generations the importance of that. And, I am a descendent of Martha Washington which also intrigues my curiosity in wanting to learn all I can about our first First Lady.

LM: How did you get started as a writer, and how did you decide to seek publication?

Sheila: As a teacher, I taught composition and started writing for some of our church publications. I mulled it over often and even did some ghost writing. It wasn’t until I visited Walnut Grove that I had a story that I was compelled to tell. It was a wonder that a local press agreed with me, and a year later, Courageous Kate was printed. What followed were four other biographies, including Tales of a Cosmic Possum, all written and published in eleven years. It has been an unreal journey, and I have enjoyed every minute.

LM: You live in a beautiful area of the world, a place many people visit. If money were no object, what is your idea of the ultimate vacation?

Sheila: I believe I would like to go on a jaunt that included Williamsburg, Mt. Vernon, Boston, and Philadelphia. Of course, there would be a few day trips along the way, like the childhood home of George Washington at Ferry Farm, Plimouth Plantation, and several days overnighting at the City Tavern. The ultimate part of this vacation would be that time would not be an issue. Both times I visited Mt. Vernon, I was plagued by a clock for only one day’s stay. Oh, I need the owners of Carter’s Grove, my Carter family, to reopen the house to the public once again. Watching the wild horses on the Outer Banks would also be a must, and in the evening a front row seat at The Lost Colony play in Roanoke. And one more thing would be watching a performance of Hamilton on Broadway. Probably this would take care of my bucket list!

LM: What is your next project?

Sheila I have almost completed research on Judith Giton Manigault, one of the first Huguenots to immigrate to South Carolina in the 17^th century. On January 22, I will share part of her story to the South Carolina Historical Society, and maybe their response will guide me toward telling her story.

LM: Where can folks find you on the web?

Sheila: Blog: http://www.sheilaingle.com

Author Page on Facebook: Sheila Ingle, Author

Twitter: @sheilaingle1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/583797.Sheila_Ingle

Book Blurb: 

Tales of a Cosmic Possum is a group of short stories based on the history of eight women in my husband’s family who worked in the cotton mills of SC. They worked together in the mills, shared their gardens, attended church, and enjoyed the playing and singing of the songs from the Grand Ole Opry. When five of the brothers went off to war, those who couldn’t fight took care of their families. The Ingles stuck together, just like they were taught in the Appalachia.

Purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B073NSCPPY 

Appalachian Strength by Sheila Ingle

Appalachian Strength by Sheila Ingle

“I’m glad there’s some folks getting’ interested in the old ways. This new generation don’t know such things, but when they find the old songs and the tales, they’ll delight in them.” Granny in Grandfather Tales by Richard Chase

The women of Appalachia stood tall beside their husbands. Whether it was felling trees to build cabins or defending their homeplaces from marauding Indians, their everyday lives were severe. In the 1700’s, survival was one of endurance. For these mountain women, it was endless toil-that sun up to sun down kind.

When the Scots-Irish emigrated to our country, they settled in the Appalachian hills and hollers. The mountainous landscape reminded them of home, and many gravitated to those small valleys between two mountains or hills.  Since most families traveled with their kin, they also planted crops together, raised cabins, barns, and children together, sewed in quilting bees together, and even worked stills together. “Feelin’ poorly” was not an excuse for not getting the work done, even if a woman was “wore slap dab out,” and there was always work. “Lollygagging” (dawdling) was not tolerated either.

Since neighbors weren’t within hollering distance, it was a solitary life. Music was a solace, as the sounds of a dulcimer, fiddle, or dobro pushed the wilderness walls away. From Germany, Scotland, and Ireland, 18^th century immigrants brought their ballads with them. This oral tradition finally was written down, though some songs were lost. Both the lyrics and tunes were plaintive, and mostly told of sadness and loss. “Barbara Allen” was a popular one.

In Scarlet town where I was born

There was a fair maid dwelling

And every youth cried well away

For her name was Barbara Allen

'Twas in the merry month of May

The green buds were a swelling

Sweet William on his deathbed lay

For the love of Barbara Allen

He sent a servant unto her

To the place she was dwelling

Saying you must come to his deathbed now

If your name be Barbara Allen

Slowly, slowly she got up

Slowly, slowly she came nigh him

And the only words to him she said

Young man I think you're dying

As she was walking o'er the fields

She heard the death bell knelling

And every stroke it seemed to say

Hardhearted Barbara Allen

Oh, mother mother make my bed

Make it long and make it narrow

Sweet William died for me today

I'll die for him tomorrow

They buried her in the old churchyard

They buried him in the choire

And from his grave grew a red red rose

From her grave a green briar

They grew and grew to the steeple top

'Till they could grow no higher

And there they twined in a true love's knot

Red rose around green briar

In Scarlet town where I was born

There was a fair maid dwelling

And every youth cried well away

For her name was Barbara Allen.

Radio programs in the 1930’s, like the Grand Ole’ Opry, helped to keep this music alive.

Being independent was important, and children were taught the skills needed for this rural life. All family members had their chores to help the family survive. As President Eisenhower said about America’s fight in WW II, “Our pleasures were simple-they included survival.”

Have you read Christy by Catherine Marshall? 

This is an honest portrayal of Appalachian life in Cutter Gap, Tennessee in the 1900’s. During this early 20^th century, there had been little change from the 1700’s, especially when it came to faith, family values, and mountain traditions. This primitive life in the holler was not very different from when Mary Ingles lived in the neighboring state of Virginia.

During the French and Indian War, the Shawnee Indians attacked and captured families at a settlement called Drapers Meadows in Virginia. Mary Ingles and her two sons, four-year-old Tommy and George, age two were captured, along with others. It was July, 1731, and all three survived a forced March to Ohio. Her sons were adopted into the tribe, and she was given to a French trader. In October, she and another woman planned their escape, taking two blankets and a tomahawk. Living off the land, Mary traveled 800 miles in forty days to reach home. Naked, skeletal, and white-haired, she arrived with the will to start life again.

Here is a map of the trail she followed.

The Appalachian women of Mary’s time had indescribable strength. I believe it was a life more than can be born. The more I read about the Appalachian hill life, see the photos of it, and remember the stories of privation and doing with what they had, there was a factor of impossibility there. It was a “can do” attitude based on faith, and it was bigger than they were. She literally fought with all her being to get home; hope pushed her.

Cabin Mary lived in with husband William after
she returned home. Nearby today is the
Virginia Tech campus.

Minnie Ethelene Hefner Justus stood a mere 5 feet 3 inches, but she was a tall as a tree in my eyes. Here skin was weathered by years of working; her eyes were water-blue, and her hands tough. Her back was hunched from constant work. Whatever the task was, Granny did the next thing. I remember her remonstrating my cousin with a "I'm going to snatch you bald-headed."

Born October 14, 1877, my great grandmother was a dear. Her smile lit up her face, and her just-because hugs were coveted by her grands and great grands. She was the one who gave me slices of lemon to rid my stomach of the upheavals caused by mountain curves on the way to her house.

She could wring the neck of a chicken in the back yard and have it fried and on the table an hour later. Her wringer washing machine sat on her back porch, leaning toward the yard, and in the living room her pump organ greeted her guests. Until she was ninety, she tended her own garden, put up the vegetables, and baked biscuits that would melt in the mouth. Living through the Depression, she and Pop lost all they had, so she opened a boarding house in Laurel Cliff. Seeing to her eight children and as many boarders, Granny had busy days.

She was a woman of the mountains who made her way on Sundays to Pleasant Hill Baptist Church to worship each week until she moved into a nursing home. Her Bible was well worn, and her actions to family and friends proved it lived deep in her heart. No one left her home empty-handed or without knowing they were important to her.

In researching Appalachia and its families for my latest book, Tales of a Cosmic Possum, I was fascinated by the sayings. Since I chose to write it in dialect, many are included. Memories of Granny using so many of them made me smile, and I reckon that I might as well admit, my speech is sprinkled with them, too!

Connect with me!

Twitter: @sheilaingle1

Website: http://www.sheilaingle.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SheilaIngleAuthor

Email: jifamily@charter.net