Pete: Raymond & Dorothy need some more copies of your book! I just bought the LAST one! Merry Christmas! bert
On Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 2:31 PM, ssp <[email protected]> wrote: > .... > > > ....dude, you be amphibious! > I'm going to get my copy now! > > http://www.wilsontimes.com/assets/5587115/A09_12-16-2010_WDT.pdf > > By Janelle Clevinger > Silver lake > Special to the Times > > Local author mixes > history with fiction > > What started as a search > for documentation regarding a family land grant > from the 1770s, evolved > into the weaving of Wilson > history and storytelling for > an entire book penned by > local author Pete Williams. > Williams’ self-published > book titled “Between the > Waters of the Tar and Toisnot” came about because > he wanted to document his > family’s history and the > history of Wilson’s Silver > Lake area for his family > and friends. > “A lot of people look > down on self-published > authors, but I didn’t do > this just because I wanted > my name on a book,” Williams said. “I wanted it > published for my friends > and relatives. At my age, > I didn’t want to waste the > time shopping around for > publishers.” > Williams, 74, is a lifelong > resident of Wilson and > graduated from Atlantic > Christian College in 1958 > with a degree in chemistry. > He worked in laboratories > most of his professional life, > retiring after 20 years of > work with Scapa Press Fabrics (now Voith Fabrics). > He recently joined the > Wilson County Genealogical Society with the goal of > finding a land grant during > the 1770s from the Earl of > Granville to Williams’ relative, Pilgrim Williams. The > land, which sits near the > Wilson and Nash county > lines, is still owned by Williams’ distant relatives. > After finding the information he needed right > there in the Wilson County > Public Library, Williams > continued to research his > family’s genealogy. > “It gradually dawned > on me that I could string > together a historical fiction > story about my father’s > family and my mother’s > family and how they came > together,” said Williams. > “This not a biography > about my family, but includes many events that > actually happened.” > The book’s main character is Williams’ father Garland Williams, but > because > the story is not technically > biographical, his name > is changed to Garvis. His > mother, Ruby Petway Williams, is renamed Ruth in > the book. > “The story of how my > parents met is fictitious > in the book, but I tried to > make the storyline fit together with the historical > events I was trying to tell,” > said Williams. “Some of > the story is fictitious, but > they are based on stories I > have heard all my life.” > In 1916, Williams’ mother’s family moved to Silver > Lake and began to develop > the area. Ruby Petway was > born in 1918, and the family enjoyed several prosperous years building > up the > Silver Lake complex which > included a cotton gin, grist > mill, general store, dance > pavilion, bath house, rental > boats and a hot dog stand, > which was one of Ruby’s > favorites. > “Silver Lake was the > place to be back then,” said > Williams. “There wasn’t > a single public swimming > pool in Wilson then, and > no one had the money to > go to the beach, so everyone went to Silver Lake. > There were probably a > thousand people there on > a typical summer Sunday > afternoon.” > The Great Depression > saw the end of Silver > Lake’s overwhelming popularity. Williams’ mother’s > family lost everything and > was forced to move from > the area around 1930. > “There is a little bit of > a twist at the end of the > book that originally came > from my mother’s mother,” > teased Williams. “It was a > particular event that occurred during the Civil > War.” > The book’s title comes > from the fact that William’s > grandfather’s farm was > located almost equidistant > between the Tar River and > Toisnot Swamp. Silver > Lake is fed by waters from > the Toisnot Swamp. > Williams wrote the book > with the Wilson community in mind. > “In addition to my family and friends, I think > older people and anyone > interested in Wilson area > history or anyone who may > have read or heard a little > about Silver Lake would > be interested in this book,” > he said. > The Wilson Genealogical > Society is a group already > interested in “Between > the Waters of the Tar and > Toisnot.” Williams is slated > to be the featured speaker > at the Society’s meeting in > February, 2011 > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. > To post to this group, send email to > [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<cyclistsofwilson-cows%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. 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