THE LIGHTWOOD CHRONICLES tells the epic story of a violent struggle over land rights. The novel LIGHTWOOD told the story in fiction. The CHRONICLES offers the historical background and also celebrates the work of Brainard Cheney, author of LIGHTWOOD. Following the Civil War, another war broke out in the piney woods of south Georgia between Northern land barons-the Dodge Company-and local landowners. The Dodge Company began harvesting the ancient pine forests and shipping the timber to customers worldwide. They made hundreds of millions of dollars in the process. They evicted the squatters from land occupied for decades. Epic court battles led to violent struggle and murder. Angry 'land squatters'demanded that the Dodges "be sent hellward." An alleged conspiracy led to the murder of Captain John Forsyth, the timber company boss. Prominent citizens went to prison and many others died. The Dodge Company left the majestic pine forests a wasteland, with 300,000 acres of wooden treasure ransacked,the lives of the natives forever altered.

The Lightwood Chronicles: Murder and Greed in the piney woods of South Georgia, 1869-1923, being the true story of Brainard Cheney's novel, Lightwood (Lightwood History Collection)

History

Gordon, Caroline

Cheney, Brainard

Whigham, Stephen

Americas

MMJW

“A superior novel of the South, exceedingly well-written. . .” New York Times, 1939 A rousing novel of the post-Civil War era, widely praised when published in 1939. LIGHTWOOD conjures a vivid lost world in this “rebellion in the backlands” story based on historical fact. Set in the south Georgia “piney woods,” Brainard Cheney’s tale of murder and greed re-creates the battle between the forces of Wall Street timber barons and local landowners. “LIGHTWOOD has the unimpeachable honesty, goodness, flatness, of a mouthful of cold, excellent corn bread.” Time magazine, October, 1939 “Here is a southern novel with a theme that is significantly American. It tells the story of men trying to preserve the integrity of their human rights against the encroachments of property rights: an old story, but one that has become increasingly important. . . Mr. Cheney’s first novel. . .is no inconsiderable achievement.” Saturday Review, 1939 Brainard Cheney (1900-1990) grew up in Lumber City, Georgia on the Ocmulgee River. He published four novels based on autobiographical and historical events in the pine forests of the Altamaha River basin in south Georgia. Long out of print, his four exciting and innovative novels are available once again.

Lightwood: a novel of the piney woods (Lightwood History Collection)

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

RIVER ROGUE A tale of romance and adventure After the Civil War, 1870. Deep in the south Georgia river swamp forests. Ratliff Sutton, a young white boy, runs away from a broken home and grows up the adopted son of former slaves. In the swamps of the Ocmulgee and Altamaha Rivers, he transforms into Snake Sutton, mythic timber raftsman, struggling with mighty rivers, fighting both men and alligators, steering great log rafts to Darien by the sea. Forsaking China Swann, a “fancy lady” and his champion, Snake marries society belle Robbie McGregor. Fighting his way into the merchant ranks through hurricanes and murder, he moves beyond tragedy and into an awakening that summons him back to his roots upriver. “The world of (River Rogue) is the world of the rivers down which the raftsmen brought their timber to the Darien market (in the late 1800s). The quality of this world—the aspect of the country, the sprees in the bars and dives, the cunning, viciousness, and honor of the rogues, the code of the raftsmen, who felt themselves set apart from other men—is rendered with a fine imaginative precision.” Robert Penn Warren, Saturday Review (1942) “Brainard Cheney tells all about (Snake Sutton) in his rip-snortin’, rootin’-tootin’ novel…Rarely will you encounter a book that plunges more deeply into a strange and specialized way of life…(Cheney) has a wild story to tell and a wild life to describe, and he does it with relish.” Orville Prescott , New York Times (1942) BRAINARD CHENEY (1900-1990), acclaimed Georgia author, grew up along the Georgia rivers he writes about. He published four novels during the period 1939 through 1969. All are available from MM John Welda BookHouse.

River Rogue: a novel of romance and adventure on the Altamaha River (The Lightwood History Collection)

Theo Coleman met Meta Shaw in 1937. The Valdosta, Georgia couple fell in love and married, uniting the Shaw and Coleman families whose extended lineage runs deep throughout the Southern United States. In this work, author Daniel Coleman traces the ancestry of his Shaw and Coleman grandparents all the way back to the early pre-Revolutionary War period. Farming families, timber men, business people—these early ancestors eventually settled in Georgia and Florida. This extended family, up through and including Theo and Meta and their children, create a rich tapestry of history. Written as a narrative history of this amazing cast of family members, Mr. Coleman also provides detailed genealogical data on each family’s branch of the family tree. When Theo Met Meta is a page-turner and a darn good read.

When Theo Met Meta: A History of the Coleman-Shaw Families of Valdosta, Georgia (Lightwood History Collection)

Coleman, Daniel Shaw

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Books by MMJW

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the MMJW publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Lightwood Chronicles: Murder and Greed in the piney woods of South Georgia, 1869-1923, being the true story of Brainard Cheney's novel, Lightwood (Lightwood History Collection)

Lightwood: a novel of the piney woods (Lightwood History Collection)

River Rogue: a novel of romance and adventure on the Altamaha River (The Lightwood History Collection)

When Theo Met Meta: A History of the Coleman-Shaw Families of Valdosta, Georgia (Lightwood History Collection)