Okatibbee Creek

by Lori Crane

In the bloodiest years of our nation’s history, a young mother was left alone to endure the ravages of the Civil War and a typhoid epidemic that threatened the lives of everyone left behind. Okatibbee Creek is based on the true story of Mary Ann Rodgers, who survived the collapse of the Confederate dollar, food shortages, and the deaths of countless family members to war and disease. As she searched for a way to feed her children and her orphaned nieces and nephews, Sherman’s Union army marched through Mississippi on their way to destroy Meridian, and Mary Ann found the distant war literally on her doorstep. Help arrived just in the nick of time in the form of an unexpected champion, and Mary Ann emerged on the other side a heroic woman with an amazing story. Okatibbee Creek is a novel of historical fiction that brings the Deep South vividly to life and will have you cheering and crying through a real-life story of loss, love and survival.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Civil War, Fiction

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2012

About the author

Bestselling and award-winning author Lori Crane is a writer of historical fiction and the occasional thriller. Her books have climbed to the Kindle Top 100 list many times, including "Elly Hays" which debuted at #1 in Native American stories. She has also enjoyed a place among her peers in the Top 100 historical fiction authors on Amazon, climbing to #23. She's a native Mississippian, currently residing in greater Nashville, Tennessee. She is a professional musician by night, an indie author by day.

Lori's passions are genealogy and American history, which you'll find weaved throughout each novel she writes. She is a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the United States Daughters of 1812, as well as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Look for Lori on "Most Terrifying Places in America" on the Travel Channel where her book "The Legend of Stuckey's Bridge" is featured!

***Visit Lori's blog at
https://loricrane.com/

***Sign up for Lori's quarterly newsletter at
http://eepurl.com/GHJ7D

"Lori Crane is a Southern storyteller of the first order." ~Writer's Digest

"Lori Crane is a must-read author." ~Readers' Favorite


Bibliography

The Okatibbee Creek Series:
Okatibbee Creek
An Orphan's Heart
Elly Hays

The Stuckey's Bridge Trilogy:
The Legend of Stuckey's Bridge
Stuckey's Legacy: The Legend Continues
Stuckey's Gold: The Curse of Lake Juzan

The Culpepper Saga:
I, John Culpepper
John Culpepper the Merchant
John Culpepper, Esquire
Culpepper's Rebellion

Other Books:
Savannah's Bluebird
Witch Dance
The Culpepper-Fairfax Scandal (coming soon)
Eula (coming soon)
On This Day: A Perpetual Calendar for Family Genealogy

Literary Awards:
~Artist of the Month, July 2019, Columbia Daily Herald/Columbia Arts Council, Columbia, TN
~Finalist in the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for "Witch Dance."
~Finalist in the 2014 Eric Hoffer Awards for "An Orphan's Heart."
~Bronze medal in literary fiction at the 2013 eLit Book Awards for "Okatibbee Creek."
~Honorable mention in historical fiction at the 2013 Midwest Book Festival for "Okatibbee Creek."
~Honorable mention in general fiction at the 2013 Midwest Book Festival for "Elly Hays."
~Shortlisted for '50 Self-published Books Worth Reading in 2013/14' at Indie Author Land for "Elly Hays."

Reviews

[Tamara Crowley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good grief. Well, it was bound to happen. The first 6 books I read this year have been fabulous. The streak is over at Okatibbee Creek. In the author's defense, this book is an important geneology record of her own family - the characters (and there are A LOT!) are taken directly from birth records that trace her lineage back to the beginning of our country. For that reason alone it deserves respect.
However, as a novel it is not great. The story is depressing, quite frankly, and I'm not one to shy away from tough subject matter. This book is simply a "laundry list" of names and events gleaned from a few journals, some public records and our own country's history books. There are no assumptions made that could help the story evolve. There are too many characters introduced, some just to be born and then to die of fever. It is very hard to keep track of who's who and just when you do, they die and we're on to the next birth, marriage, wagon train departure.
I finished it because it was a fast read, and some of the historical aspects were interesting. But otherwise, you won't miss anything if you skip this one.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found myself kind of frustrated with this book, to be perfectly honest. The premise is very interesting: a family in the pre-Civil War south, and all that they go through.

The book starts out with a bang: the drowning of primary protagonist Mary Ann's two brothers. Then, things flash back -- and you would think that the drowning would be a big focus of the book because of the dramatic beginning.

Not so. It's just something that happened.

Unfortunately, there was a whole lot of telling and not much showing. Someone would be pregnant and then nine months' time would pass without anything apparently happening. Someone would get married, and they would always be blissfully happy. Never a moment's strife, even when a loved one or relative dies in the war.

The book was also riddled with factual errors that were easy to look up and could have been corrected.

And here's the kicker: the book is based on the author's own family members. The photos and information about the actual people in the book were, in my opinion, more interesting than the author's historical fiction work. I was very disappointed, because there could have been so much more interesting information presented in the tale. At the end of the day, it was like reading a family Bible: "so and so married such and such, and begat thus and so."

[P.C. Zick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review comes from the audio version of Okatibbee Creek. From the very beginning, I was captivated by this story and its picturesque setting and its cast of characters making a life before, during, and after the years of the Civil War. The narrator of the audio tape, Margaret Lepera, provides just the right touch of a southern accent to make the narration of Mary Ann Rodgers' landscape and personality leap to life.

Lori Crane is an exceptional storyteller of the Deep South. The ingrained notion of slavery is accepted by the characters and the fight over it through such a high price is puzzling to the characters of Okatibbee Creek. They end up freeing their slaves anyway as a result of the destroyed economy of this part of Mississippi. The strong female, Mary Ann, keeps families together and carries on the tradition of her father and mother in the love shown to all human beings. A life examined is one worth living and Crane presents us with one exceptional life worth examining in the audio or book form of Okatibbee Creek.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okatibbee Creek
Lori Crane


Children live life to the fullest and enjoy going to play in a lake, creek or just somewhere to cool off. When Stephen and William Rogers along with their sisters and brothers decide to go off on their own while their mother is about to have another child, something will change the dynamics of their family forever. Told in the voice of six-year-old Mary Rogers we learn about their home, their life and what led up the death of her two brothers ages eight and ten. As their mother gives birth to another boy their father and the rest of the community get plan the funeral of her brothers. Listening to her voice, the strength behind it and the way these children came together lets the reader know what a close knit family they are and how the community bonds together during difficult times. The author also enlightens readers as to the customs, the fact that Indians live there and how they treat their house slaves with such respect and caring.


The story is about the Rogers family and how it grows through the years. Each family member marries, has many children and even Mary’s other has 14. But, like all families many members move far away, others decide to live on the land bought by their father whose business sense is great and whose livelihood can really support more than just his family. But, each member is independent and as Mary reaches 18 and the loses of many are remembered, children are named for different brothers and sisters, or parents she marries her childhood sweetheart Rice and they begin to build their own family and soon new life. But, living near their father and farming was not for Rice as they move to town, open a general store and then things begin to change as slavery becomes more of an issue with the North who feels that it should be abolished. Lincoln is about to become President, taxes are high, slaves are being sold, and family’s split up and the times are changing for everyone. Imagine even more when someone loses a child, another a wife and the world begins to change for this tightly knit community. Author Lori Crane brings to light the turbulent times of the Civil War, what happens when Mississippi secedes from the union, how people handle and understand it, the mistreatment of slaves, the moving of the Indians to Oklahoma and the dangers that befall not only those going to war but those at home. But, the story carries with it many deep-rooted messages that readers need to understand. It is more than just about the war, the fever that took the lives of Mary’s father, nephews, sister-in-laws and her precious son Monroe. It is more than just about the loss of her mother who succumbed to Typhoid Fever too. The war took Rice, her true love, it made so many children orphans and the strength that she had the will to go on and to love the children that were orphaned allows the reader to understand more than just the true meaning of family but courage too. This family endured so many tragedies, so many hardships and yet those that survived can teach us today the meaning of respect, love, the honesty in their speech, manner and the respect the children showed for all family members is remarkable. At time of adversity and happiness this family comes together like no other. This is the story of Lori Crane’s third great grandmother, Mary Rogers and grandfather Rice Benjamin Carpenter. This is a story about survival, courage, hope and finally love. But, if someone were to create a family tree its roots would be solid and firm and branches would extend so far across many states.


The war comes right at their back door, the killing, the stealing, the threats and the horrors that so many faced challenge not only those at war but those left behind. When three men come face to face with Mary they never expected her to stand up to them, get her own form of cavalry and the end result will not only make you stand up and cheer but shed some tears of your own. A heart wrenching scene, a harsh realization about her life and the possibility of starting new with someone else but will she?

The ending will help those who have lost many to understand the true meaning of strength and that giving up is not what you need to do. Children that she took in, nieces, nephews, step children and family members that all managed to live under one roof and survive. Some that lost their lives in the war, the South that had to be rebuilt and a family whose ties to each other are still strong even today as author Lori Crane brings her family to life for everyone in this heartfelt, joyous, sad and definitely historically correct novel about a family named Rogers and another named Jolly that lived their lives on Okatibee Creek the one constant that would never change.

Including at the end are the author’s notes telling about her family, their history and the death certificates of those that gave their lives for their country and photos of her family making the story come alive. Author Lori Crane brings to life a family whose values were so firmly instilled in their children that you wish they would spill over to our youth today.

But, in every family there is one who thinks differently and does not really go astray but since the youngest feels that she, Martha Jane, her youngest sister, needs to be catered to. But, when push comes to real shove and a wedding is about to take place read what Mary Rogers does to put her in her place. You will definitely smile and note that sister Mary is no one to trifle with. When Rice does not come back from the war her life changes. When she has to step up and take in more children due to another death she does. One man loses his wife another her children while others both parents and through it all Mary Rogers is strong, steadfast as her slave and more like second mother Bertie tells her when they finally admit their true feelings for each other you will learn when you read it just the two different women, one a slave and one whose family she worked for, come together in a way that will bring tears to your eyes and hope that someday prejudice will disappear and everyone will be equal and treated the same. This is one book that all kids should read to learn morals, values, respect, understanding and what some children have to do in order to survive. Material things do not make a family’s worth. It’s the love of all that binds you together.
Fran Lewis: reviewer

[Margaret Lepera · Rating 5 out of 5]

My introduction to Okatibbee Creek was as the narrator of the audiobook version. What leapt off the page to me was the echo of the author’s actual descendants in every line, as if they were in the room with me as I narrated. I could sense the challenges of living during such turbulent times, and the author captured the hopes and dreams of the characters with loving attention. The heroine was strong, determined, and well drawn. There is melody and lyricism in this writing, and the final chapter was a lovely conclusion.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okatibbee

Loved this book. It was a great story that tied history of okatibbee area in. It was cool to have people’s lives tied into history in my area. The accuracy and then the end is told what info was made to make the story flow. Easy read.

[Mirella · Rating 5 out of 5]

During the course of a genealogical search into her roots, Lori Crane visited the grave of her third great grandmother, Mary Ann Rodgers. After becoming acquainted with, and fascinated by, this forebear, Crane gathered data and assembled the facts of her life. Then she put flesh on the bones, breathed imagination into it, and wove it into a novel, the result of which is Okatibbee Creek. Told almost exclusively through Mary Ann Rodgers, the story opens in Mary 19s sixth year. It follows her through years of growing up, courtship, and motherhood, largely against the backdrop of a south torn by conflict and privation during the Civil War.

In the pre-war days, one can 19t help but be astonished by the amount of babies born, the size of the families, and the complex interrelation of families. Children grow, marry, and reproduce at an astounding rate. Households are established, businesses formed, and small fortunes built, until war breaks out and men rush to the defense of the south. Casualties mount as the conflict begins in earnest. Disease claimed more in the ranks than battle, and those who remained at home were not immune to its ravages. Anyone acquainted with history knows the losses were appalling, and Crane puts it in unique perspective. Through the eyes of Mary, we get a glimpse of how it was for one woman, her family, extended family, and her community.

Okatibbee Creek is about perseverance in the face of hardship and heartbreaking loss. There is limited historical detail, for the weight of the text inclines towards revealing Mary 19s heart. Crane writes of Mary 19s grief over several lost dear ones: 1CI can 19t remember one moment to the next. I don 19t know how, but each moment just comes and goes and I am still alive. 1D The account reads much like a diary, a page-turner of a diary. Crane 19s language is simple, yet profound. One Christmas Eve, as families light candles for the dearly departed at a church service, Mary makes the poignant observation, 1CThe room is brighter than a wheat field on a sunny day. 1D It is such juxtaposing of the tragic with the hopeful that makes this novel shine.

Lori Crane is sensitive and respectful of the subjects at hand. She does not dwell on the more difficult aspects of slavery, which to some may seem a convenience, but it must be said that this is clearly not the aim of the book. The slave stories, besides, are based on original accounts of the era. She also refrains from delving into the more intimate details of Mary 19s personal life, an omission one might expect from a proper southern lady of the time. Her theme, as stated through Mary, is that we must honor the memories of our loved ones, and give witnesses to each other 19s lives. And in Okatibbee creek, this is exactly what Lori Crane has done--given faithful witness to these long-since passed on family members. One likes to think Mary Ann Rodgers herself would be proud.

[Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read some of the other reviews before writing this, because my thoughts about the book are ambivalent. It is obviously a labour of love, well-researched, with lovely photos that brought the characters to life. In a way, I wish they had been at the front of the book, so that I could engage with them sooner than I did.

The story has been told often before, only this time, from one very extensive family's perspective. It begins with a tragedy, although it was not until the end of the book that we are told that they drowned. This might have been deliberate, but felt more like the author had forgotten to add that bit in. There was also an inordinate amount of A marrying B, having X children, so it felt a little like the book of Genesis, with all the begatting and so forth.

But I'm glad I stuck with it, because once that was out of the way, the author really hit her stride with describing the grinding hardship of the Civil War and the scars it left on the women left at home. There were strong echoes of Gone With The Wind, with one of the characters sulking because she could not go to parties, and being determined to be a merry widow. As these were based on real people, I wasn't entirely convinced.

I wish I could have given the book four stars, but in my heart of hearts I could not. I felt no sense of place, it could have been anywhere in the US, had it not been for the historical references. Also, the writing was of a style that I found over-simplified, but that was probably personal preference. It left no mark on me, and for the amount of effort and love involved in writing it, that was a real shame.

I've discovered that this book has won some literary plaudits, and I'm glad, because a lot of people will get an enormous pleasure out of reading this book. For me it was a little sweet, but I'm glad I read it to the end.

[Philip Dickinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tale that encompasses one woman’s life. Mary Ann, a woman born in Mississippi in the 1820’s to a well-to-do farmer and his wife. Mary Ann suffers the untimely and harrowing death of two of her brothers while very young, but normal life returns and for a long time, her childhood is one long and perfect summer. The skies are blue and the family grows as a succession of beautiful family members is added. In time, the older siblings fall in love and marry. There are big, happy weddings with friends and neighbours coming from all across the county and plenty of parties.

Be careful! Lori Crane Hess is softening you up! In 1862, the Civil War breaks out and the men head north to fight. A lack of news from the front is only the first of the problems. On top of loneliness comes inflation and poverty. Finally Typhoid fever rages through the community and Mary Ann’s life is torn apart. The once huge family is decimated and dispatches from the war only add to the death toll and misery. Is there anything left that’s worth living for?

This story moved me more than I thought it would. Just as Mary Ann’s idyllic life began to grate on me, the horsemen of the apocalypse come swooping down and I was locked in. I read on, appalled as the horrors kept pouring into this woman’s life. I had to find out what would happen and how she would cope. Overall, well written. I had some issues with style and the massive time span covered meant that momentous events came and disappeared in the blink of a paragraph or a couple of pages. I felt that 21st century liberal views leaked into the story to avoid offending modern readers. It’s still worth reading though. It brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion.

[Tess Ailshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pure and simple a woman's memoir.

Told from the first person, it's the memories of a woman who lives through much - joy, death, war, want - with the knowledge she can't change the world, but she can roll with the punches, accepting joy where she can and hardship where she must.

It's the story of a woman to whom family is paramount. While some critics have taken issue with the extremely large cast of characters, I believe a woman whose primary focus is on family would naturally record and remember all the nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, out-laws, and so on.

Yes, the characters can be confusing; many are not developed enough to give the reader a sense of their nature, but those characters are not there for plot. They're background, and one need not know every one.

Few books move me to tears. This did.

[Christoph Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Okatibbee Creek" by Lori Crane is a moving historical novel about the life of one woman and her extended family before, during and after the Civil War. Beginning with her life when she is 6 years old we soon learn the harsh reality of life in Mississippi when her brothers die, her husband gets drafted into the war and typhus fever claims many more lives around her.
It is an impressive read on a historical level as we learn much detail about the times without that becoming the sole task of telling the story. Lori Crane gives her characters a lot to live through and to digest and with that comes compassion from the reader and a personal touch that makes the tragedies and happy occasions more real.
I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

[Francis Guenette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crane's book is the kind of read that creeps up on readers and totally overtakes them with emotion. From the beginning there is mystery and deep emotion but it meanders along in a way that can deceive a reader not prepared to go the distance. I turned pages and wondered about the wealth of detail related to everyday sorts of things - who was born to who and what people ate at the Church picnic. The immediacy felt like reading an old diary. A few times, I thought - when will the story begin? Before I knew it, I was in totally wrapped up in Crane's deeply touching Civil War story.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read that takes the reader back to the days of an awful tragic time in American History and into the lives of those who lived and died during the time. The story begins when six year old Mary endures the tragic loss of not one but two brothers. However, this is just the beginning of what Mary endures in a life that was lived during this historic time. Not only the civil war but diseases that take their toll on families and friends. I found this to be a poignant story that was a quick read and a look into a history that must have been fascinating for this author to uncover.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. The story flows well, and the pacing between key events is spot-on. It's a real page turner, as well as a lesson in history. It's rare that a book--any book--can provide such a great, authentic story, yet also teach a lesson in history. I've always thought the BEST history teachers of all were works of historical fiction that intricately weave strands of history and a strong sense of place into the storyline. However, I'd yet to find such a book--until now.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was a quick story and fairly unsatisfying. She covered too much in too short of a book. There was no true character development so you didn't really get to know anyone. I understand why the author wrote it (everyone loves family history) but she really needed to flesh out the characters more.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a work of historical fiction based on the lives of the authors third great grandparents. The story takes place in the years before during and after the civil war and follows the life of one family.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would have been really good if it had been fleshed out. Half way through the book, I found myself thinking that someone just wrote a story about the names in the family Bible...which is essentially what it is as.
It really has potential, but it just needs 'more'.

[Vickie Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book! Anyone who enjoys civil war novels will love the story of Mary Rogers. Her life before, during, and post-Civil War is exciting from start to finish. This book is very fast paced. You will never be bored. This is a must read for all lovers of historical novels. Great read!

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this book was the last chapter. Words to live by about family, remembering what we are given.

[Nina Sala-gault · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt I was there

October Creek is rich in detail that makes each character spring fully into a life rich in feelings and detail.

[Brenda Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read!

I love to read about the Old South, and its book by Lori Crane is as good as you could ask for...so true to life for back than.

[Nancy Newhall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical story

This was a quite compelling family story well worth the read...in fact I believe that I will now be reading the second book....

[Lori Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I love historical books, what a great story, but very sad. War is awful. I love t people In the book.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care for this book. Just seemed like a lot of people having babies and dying leaving the reader trying to figure out who belonged to who. I would not recommend.

[S W · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it very much.

[Lora Burch]

I enjoy this book very much. It was told in a very straight forward way but I could still feel the emotions throughout all of the story. Very tough time, but the book sure does help one realize what it was like during that time. Highly recommend it!

[Barbara Adams]

ugh