On the Banks of the Rappahannock

This historical novel will travel through the colonial days of the south beginning in 1699 and culminating in 1783 with the struggles of the Revolution. Three U. S. Presidents have ties to the historical characters in this book - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. Mary Ball, mother of the 1st president, is one of the main personalities highlighted. Nancy Hanks, mother of the 16th president, was probably the illegitimate daughter of one of this book's characters. Thomas Jefferson and his family play a vital role in this historical novel. The main characters of this book will be lesser known but just as significant. These will be the Peacheys, the Glascocks, the Griffins, the Bertrands, the Balls, the McCartys, the Carters, and the Tayloes - all popular names in the eighteenth century on the Northern Neck of Virginia. Others featured are the Walkers and the Gilmers, especially Dr. Thomas Walker, who first discovered Kentucky for the white man. His close ties to President Thomas Jefferson helped promote the formation of the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States. Rev. St. John Shropshire and his descendants are highlighted with their ties to the Peach family of South Carolina. This narrative starts during the early development of the Northern Neck of Virginia on the banks of the Rappahannock. With this as its beginning, the book takes its readers back to the immigrant ancestors of its main characters and then carries them forward to future generations. Many of the personalities in this book will be portrayed as they helped fight for the independence of the United States from England and formulate the new nation.