Author’s Note
It is in my mind that historical fiction may be the hardest type of fiction to write, for the simple reason that it is possible to get things wrong. Arguing with my writing group over whether or not cucumbers grow in Ireland, I realized just how many tiny details could take away from the legitimacy of the story.
In relating the facts, I have been as historically accurate as I could, given the small scope of the story. The situations described are not unusual, from the O’Shay’s failure to arrive in the colonies with a legal indenture to Phoebe’s attempt to save her masters during the rebellion. Certain livid details, such as the fact that small guns and powder were on sale at Hutchenson’s store that night, came either from Peter H. Wood’s description of the rebellion or probabilities based on slave narratives, such as the marriage ceremony described in part six. I chose to retain the original spellings of Charleston (Charlestown) and overseer (over-seer).
Of course, one has to realize that even from the start this is a work of fiction. Sharon, Phoebe, Maureen, and almost all of the other characters were created from my mind. Notable exceptions are Jemmy (alternately, I have found him referred to as Tommy, Johnny, and Cato; I thought Jemmy the most distinctive), Robert Bathurst and Mr. Gibbs, and Mr. Godfrey and his two children. The ship Maureen and Cullen traveled to South Carolina on, the George, did in fact carry indentured servants during this period, as well as a captain named Cumming. The personalities of these people are fictional; only their names have been borrowed.
One of the men chased on the horse during part seventeen was Lieutenant Governor Bull. According to Peter Wood, it is reasonable to assume that he was the first to sound the alarm about the rebellion, and his escape from the mob was a direct blow to their success. Although the experiences of Sharon, Phoebe, and Maureen are singular in their proximity to one another, the issues that propelled them were legitimate concerns at the time and bear witness to the changing attitudes in South Carolina.
On a personal note, I would like to thank David Phillips for his support and encouragement, Joe Purvis for enabling my word processing program, and Hostess and Snapple, without which this story would not have been written.
Critical Essay on Sources
My main source for the plot of this story was Peter H. Wood’s account of the Stono Rebellion in Black Majority: Negroes in South Carolina From 1670 Through the Stono Rebellion. It gave a succinct and vivid account of the events and discussed many of the issues of the time.
The vital details were provided by multiple books which described life during the period, but the feel of the story, the attitudes and manners depicted, were inspired by numerous slave narratives. Nothing was more influential than reading the memoirs of the men and women who experienced them. From my reading I derived everything from the climate of the area to the most popular names for slaves. Many of these small additions are un-endnotable given their subtle nature. I tried to use my endnotes sparingly, assuming that anyone intrigued by the story will go on to check out some of the books in the bibliography.