Read MacFarlane's Ridge Online
Authors: Patti Wigington
MacFarlane's Ridge (47 page)
Although Haver Springs is a fictional town, the town of Bedford is real. It was incorporated as a town in 1789, and was known as Liberty at the time. There had been settlers there for quite some time before that, who arrived there in the early 1700’s, including my own ancestors. Roanoke was known as Big Lick when it was settled in the 1740’s, named for its salt licks. It did not officially become Roanoke until the 1880’s. Fort Wyndham is fictitious; Ringwood and Morristown are not. Anyone who visits Ringwood can still see a replica of the
Marine Chevaux de Frise
on display at the home of Mr. Robert Erskine.
Contrary to popular belief, not every colonist was in favor of the American Revolution, and many hovered on the fence between the two sides. A series of ugly incidents, including the one described by Mollie involving Captain Mowat, managed to turn the public opinion in favor of revolt.
In the decades following the Jacobite Rising and the Battle of Culloden, thousands of Scottish families settled in the American Colonies. Their descendants still live today in Virginia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee. While the MacFarlanes and the Duncans in this story are fictional, they are representative of several generations of immigrants.
The song sung at the
ceilidh
by Morag Kerr is a traditional Appalachian mountain air. Following the mass migrations of the 1700’s, the Scottish and Irish immigrants who came to settle in the Appalachian Mountains brought with them the simple traditions of music and storytelling which reflected their roots.
About the Author
Patti Wigington began writing at the age of seven. Since then, she's grown up (a little) and published a couple of books, a whole bunch of random articles, some short stories, and some other really cool stuff.
More by Patti Wigington
Summer’s Ashes
The Scandalous Miss Lydia Bennett
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