Also from Okefenokee Press
Settlers of the Okefenokee, Seven Biographical Sketches
by Lois Barefoot Mays, edited by Richard H. Mays
Lois Mays conducted extensive interviews with seven of the original pioneers who settled the great Okefenokee Swamp region of south Georgia. The resulting book, "Settlers of the Okefenokee" is an oral history that offers an authentic glimpse into the lives of these hardy pioneers. Their experiences live on today in this book, an excellent example of the robust story-telling tradition of the South.
Settlers of the Okefenokee" presents a varied view of the lives of these pioneers, from the 1850s through the 1930s, through their experiences on the waters, in the now-vanished villages and on the islands in the interior of the great Okefenokee Swamp in southeast Georgia.
Here are some of the reviews:
"Georgians who grew up or lived most of their lives in the Okefenokee Swamp are very familiar with making their own entertainment and many of their household necessities. And if you enjoy hearing how it was done, Lois Barefoot Mays is prepared to tell you. She has set down with loving care the stories of how the details of daily life were handled."
Celestine Sibley, The Atlanta Constitution
"...a sparkling example of transcribed oral history."
Shirley K. Sullivan, Georgia Life
"Lois B. Mays presents a fascinating picture of the life of the people of the Okefenokee wilderness ... information gathered from the recollections of the families of these swamp area people ... comprises a significant study in rural american culture.
Gordon Thompson, The Wesleyan Christian Advocate
"A wonderful book in every way ... a production filled with information and delightfully told stories of the Okefenokee ... just right to make a lover of rare books happy to hold it in hand."
John Harris, Charlton County Herald
"The majority of history books leave a reader cold. That's because the author never gets down to just plain people. Here's a book that does. The book is very human ..."
Bob Harrell, The Atlanta Journal
"A richly detailed picture ... offering intimate glimpses of homesteading life. For those who fondly recall such pleasant events as cane grinding, candy pulling and box suppers ... "Settlers of the Okefenokee" will be as welcome as an old friend."
Joe Caldwell, The Jacksonville Journal
"Mrs. Mays book is a gem ... a treasure trove for researchers. Every possible facet of pioneer life is gone into ... an invaluable aid to writers. Thoroughly absorbing, reading at times like a geneaology, at times like a newspaper account, but always as an intelligently interested observer would write it."
Elizabeth D. Paris, The Georgia Historical Quarterly
The seven people profiled in this book are: Allen, William Robert, Sr.; Davis, Pearl Wright; Davis, Samuel Jackson, Sr.; Harris, John; Keene, Annie; Nettles, Carlo; Renshaw, Mrs. Roxie Chesser.
Hardcover. 186 pages, illustrated and indexed.
$19.95 includes shipping and handling.
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