[caption id="attachment_4246" align="alignleft" width="256" caption="Southern Belle, civil war"]
[/caption]Kay Matthews - Shirley Farris Jones had a
Confederate great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, and added to the mix
is a Yankee great-grandfather. Based on
letters, family folklore, and oral history, Farris wrote “The Un-Civil War in
Middle Tennessee” in honor of the 150th anniversary of America’s Civil War.
Jones has shared with this
reporter why her book would appeal to readers outside of Tennessee or to those beyond America's borders. Jones stated, in part, “Lives were forever changed as a result of the death and destruction brought about by a nation at
war with itself…150 years later we cannot change what happened then, but we, as
a people, can learn from those experiences.”
The historian and
author also shared, via an email interview, why she wrote the book, which was
published in October of 2010 by the Rutherford County Historical Society
located in Murfreesboro, TN.
Jones’ Tennessee
roots run deep. She is a lifelong
resident of Murfreesboro and said, “I grew up hearing the stories of my
heroic Confederate great and great-great-grandfathers. Dr. John Kennerly Farris, Co. I., 41st Tenn.
Vol. Infantry, was my great-grandfather, and Calvin C. Lowe,, my
great-great-grandfather, served with in Co. B, 23rd Tenn. Vol, Infantry. When my grandfather Lowe passed away in 1975,
the family folklore and oral history that had been told to me by my grandfather
I felt had to be preserved in some lasting form.”
Jones’ knowledge of
her ancestors goes beyond folklore and oral history. Her great-grandfather, Dr. John Farris, kept
a diary. The diary, according to Jones,
was “in the form of letters to his wife, Mary, which he would send home
to her in Coffee County as the opportunity presented itself. These letters had been preserved and my
father and I began to transcribe them in the 1980's as my father's health
declined, and this was an interesting way for us to spend quality time
together. After my father passed away in
1989, I was determined to complete the transcribing process and publish them. ‘Letters to Mary: the Civil War Diary of Dr. John Kennerly
Farris’ came off the press in 1994.”
Dr. Farris’ letters to his wife
detail his varied military experiences including being captured and made a
prisoner of war for seven months at Camp Morton, Indiana. Farris was exchanged and made “part of the
newly reorganized 41st in fighting all across Mississippi 1862-63, on to
Chickamauge, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Franklin, and finally the Battle of
Nashville in December 1864.”
Jones notes that, at the end of
the Civil War, her great-grandfather Farris “felt quite strongly…that it would
not be in the best interest if the South were to win the war.”
Asked about the most surprising
discovery she made about her ancestors while doing research for the book, Jones
replied, “Well, as we find the answer to one question, it seems in many cases
to only open new doors to our past. Such
was my situation. I discovered I had a
Yankee Great-grandfather!!!!! And, not
only that, he and my other great-grandfather were friends.”
The “odd friendship” developed in
1865 when Dr. Farris began practicing medicine in his community, but it was
dangerous due to the “un-civilness.” As
such, the Provost Marshall assigned John Neese, a Union Calvary Officer, to
accompany Dr. Farris on his travels.
“Neese was shot in the arm and
seriously wounded,” said Jones. “Farris
treated and saved the arm. After the war
ended, and Neese went home to Armstrong County, PA the two men kept in touch. Farris invited Neese to visit him at his farm
in Coffee County during the summer of 1867.
He did. And then the next year
Neese moved his family to Coffee County, after purchasing land adjoining the
Farris property. My grandmother, Mary
Neese, was born in 1878 in Coffee County.
Two decades later, she would marry Dr. John Kennerly Farris, Jr. The friendship which began in 1865 would
endure the remainder of the lives of both Neese and Farris.”
What began as a “hobby” for
Shirley Farris Jones has expanded far beyond her “wildest expectations.” Jones is now promoting her book at Tennessee
radio stations and historical societies.
Yet, Jones is confident that the book will appeal to readers living
outside of Tennessee.
“The human interest stories of
the men who fought and died, and those who didn’t actually participate in
combat, but whose lives were dramatically affected, perhaps changed forever,
are what bring the reality of that day and time to life in today’s world,” said
Jones.
Sources:
Email interview with Shirley Farris Jones conducted Feb. 6,
2011
Kay Mathews: “Author
discusses the uncivil side of America’s Civil War” on Digital Journal at http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/303410
Tennessee News Press: http://tennesseenewspress.com/2010/12/01/un-civil-war-reaches-library/
Rutherford County Tennessee Historical Society: http://www.rutherfordtnhistory.org/
