Palmetto Pioneers: From Harmony to Hostility was published on March 22, 2024 on Amazon and several months later on other sites such as Barnes and Nobles. As of this today, it has been available more than a year. In the fall, Amazon allowed me to rename the e-version of the book for better sales. In the fall, I renamed it, Palmetto Pioneers: A Historical Biography About Florida’s Path to the Civil War. It has been a successful year.
It was chosen as a Nonfiction Regional Finalist in the 27th annual Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards. They’ll announce the winners in June.
As of March 22, on Amazon, the book held a sales rank of 762,184 in the Kindle Store out of the millions of books provided. It ranked 269 in History of the U.S. Confederacy. On Amazon, 67% of those who rated it gave it 5-stars for an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5.
Here’s what others are saying about the book, including in a professional review.
Theme(s):
The book’s central themes include:
1. Resilience Amidst Frontier Challenges: The book showcases the Andrews family’s endurance as they confront the hardships of mid-1800’s life in Florida, including economic fluctuations and societal changes.
2. Impact of Socio-Political Turmoil: The story delves into the effects of political events, such as Florida’s secession and the Civil War, on the family’s dynamics and their community.
3. Strength of Family Bonds: Throughout the upheavals, the family’s unity and support for one another are emphasized, highlighting the importance of familial relationships during turbulent times.
These themes are interwoven to depict the family’s journey through a transformative period in Florida’s history, illustrating their resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity.
Characters:
This historical narrative follows the lives of William H. Andrews and Mary Adeline Walker and their children during this transformative period in Florida’s history.
Plot and Characters:
The story begins in the later 1840s, portraying the couple’s seemingly idyllic life in Florida. William, a refined gentleman from Washington, D.C., marries Mary, the illiterate daughter of a Florida pioneer cattleman from South Carolina. Their union symbolizes the merging of different worlds, setting the stage for the challenges they will face together.
As Florida transitions from statehood to secession, the Andrews family encounters many trials, including economic hardships, societal upheavals, and the looming threat of the Civil War.
William’s roles as a lawman, railroad agent, politician, and soldier pull him away from home, leaving Mary to manage the household and their children amidst the uncertainties of the frontier.
The narrative delves into Mary’s resilience as she confronts economic challenges, multiple pregnancies, and illiteracy, all while coping with the absence of her husband and sons who are scattered across battlefields from Memphis to South Carolina and from Florida to Ohio. Her steadfastness highlights the often-overlooked strength of women during this tumultuous era.
Through the lens of the Andrews family’s experiences, the book offers a vivid portrayal of early Florida’s harsh frontier life, the impact of national conflicts on local communities, and the enduring power of familial bonds in the face of adversity.
Setting:
The setting of Palmetto Pioneers: From Harmony to Hostility is Florida during the mid-19th century, spanning the years leading up to and during the American Civil War. The story follows the Andrews family as they navigate life on the Florida frontier, a time of economic struggles, societal shifts, and increasing political tension.
Key elements of the setting include:
• Florida’s rural frontier: The novel portrays the hardships of pioneering life, including managing land, cattle, and household responsibilities in an evolving but still largely untamed environment.
The first quarter of the book is set in the rural community of Elizabeth in Jefferson County, Florida. The final 3/4 of the book is set in Monticello, the county seat. It is a small rural city 8 miles south of the Georgia line and 26 miles east of Florida’s capital city, Tallahassee.
• Southern society before secession: The book captures the dynamics of class, gender roles, and literacy disparities in the South, particularly as seen in the marriage of William H. Andrews (a well-educated man from Washington, D.C.) and Mary Adeline Walker (the daughter of a cattleman, who was illiterate).
• The Civil War’s impact on Florida: The setting shifts to various battlefields across the South as the Andrews men become involved in the war, while Mary struggles to maintain the family home in Florida amidst uncertainty.
This historical backdrop provides a vivid portrayal of Florida’s transformation from a developing state to a battleground of shifting allegiances and hardships.
An Excerpt From the Book:
“Monticello boomed throughout the 1850s and remained so for a dozen or more years. Through the “Family Friend”, several stores advertised every item imaginable.
At Johnson, Williams, & Co’s “Railroad Store” for staple goods, Mary and her closest friend and Uncle Joel’s widow Betsy sought a “new style of bustle, made entirely of steel and so light.”
The stores had goods for men, and William may have shopped in them for “cutlery, saddlery … woodware, tinware, trunks” and maybe even “an umbrella.” Whether at John S. Divine’s or Budd’s store on the courthouse square (in the building that today says ‘Bank’), William, as a politician in the county, probably shopped at all Monticello stores.
Obviously, people still had money to spend, and William remained gainfully employed with at least four known jobs during the 1850s—constable, census enumerator, sheriff, and railroad agent. His ability to read, write, and cipher was still important in providing for his family.
— Palmetto Pioneers: From Harmony to Hostility by Cindy Roe Littlejohn
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