Water on a Flat Rock: The Cherokee Love Story of John and Annie Coker - Softcover

Sonseeahray

Softcover

ISBN 10: 159800042X ISBN 13: 9781598000429

Publisher: Outskirts Press, 2005

Synopsis

Water on a Flat Rock gives readers an intimate portrayal of John and Annie Coker, from their marriage in 1819 through the Trail of Tears and the Civil War, and opens with words from Annie herself: "Osiyo. I am Annie. I have come here to this place in the woods to tell you my story. I am glad you have come, hungry for the story that was lost. Learn that we are not so different, you and I. Learn that tragedy, happiness and love do not change through the years - Learn about John." Readers are transported to 1800s Tennessee where 16-year-old Annie Ratliff meets and marries 41 year-old John Coker. Drawing on the known facts of John and Annie Coker, the author offers a vivid picture, credibly filling in the gaps with imaginative fiction, a compelling love story of two Cherokee people, living in times of turbulence and change.

About this title

From the Author

This book was a work of love for me because it is the story of my great-great-great-grandparents, John Coker and Annie Ratliff Coker. When they married in 1819, Annie was 16 and John was 41. I was intrigued and wondered about their love story. By thinking along these lines, a story started to unfold in my mind and this book was born. For the most part, the places, people, dates and events are true. There were four major events in Annie and John's lives: (1) their meeting and marriage; (2) the Trail of Tears; (3) the death of John; and (4) the Civil War. So I wrote my version of their story around these life-changing events. To have records and census documents creating a family trail going back into the late 1700’s is indeed a blessing for which I am grateful. To have access to information on one’s grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents -- that's a lot of greatness, isn't it?

From the Back Cover

John went courting in the traditional way. First, he prepared himself for a hunt, he found a deer and silently asked it for permission to kill it, and then he shot it. He dressed the deer and selected the parts to leave for the Little People and the backstrap for Annie. He packed the backstrap in the deerskin and carried it to Annie’s home and offered it to her in the presence of Richard, who knew at once what it meant. Puffing on his pipe, Richard nodded once to Annie, who shyly took the venison from John, eyes averted. She then cooked some of it for John, while Lizzie and Eliza watched, giggling and whispering behind their hands.

Annie was suddenly so timid and embarrassed that she couldn’t even look at John, nonetheless, she was pleased, and accepted him as her husband-to-be

About this edition

• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 159800042X
• ISBN 13: 9781598000429
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 120