Janie Mae Jones Mckinley

With a North Carolina mountain heritage dating back to the 1700s, Janie Mae understands the values and lifestyle of her ancestors. In The Legacy of Bear Mountain, she recalls life with Granny and Grandpa during World War II while her parents were involved in the war effort. Although their 1895 farmhouse lacked modern conveniences, they enjoyed a rich life of hard work, honesty, humor, gratitude, and faith.

Bear Mountain was so secluded that a road and electricity would not become available in that part of North Carolina until 1975. She vividly recalls walking the old stagecoach trail to the house and going to the spring branch with Granny to wash clothes in the iron wash pot. With her grandparents, she chases down a chicken for Sunday dinner and stumbles through the dark forest to the persimmon tree for a Thanksgiving possum. Yet, they were grateful for those blessings, including fresh vegetables, milk, and eggs, and did not view their life as one of deprivation.

Though your memoirs may be quite different from farm life on secluded Bear Mountain, there may be similarities in the life lessons, work ethic, faith, and values passed down from your forebears. Though you will undoubtedly find Jane Mae’s stories entertaining and fun to read, this is also an invitation to revisit the past, to recall the stories, and to review your own family legacy. The end of each chapter has space for you to jot those nostalgic notes.

Having returned to her childhood roots, Janie Mae lives on Bear Mountain with her husband, Larry. A first-generation college graduate, she holds degrees from Mars Hill College and Western Carolina University.

The Legacy of Bear Mountain    $14.95 + Shipping

 

Janie Mae Jones McKinley invites you to explore your family legacy as you revisit the old days with her grandparents in The Legacy of Bear Mountain. With amazing detail, she recalls humorous and scary stories, along with Grandpa’s hard work on the railroad and Granny’s devout faith in God.

In honor of your memories, a special page is designed at the end of each chapter for individuals, families, small groups, or church classes to jot thoughts and notes. Explore the richness of your own family legacy through Janie Mae’s stories about the old mountain values that enrich our lives today.

A word Granny used a lot was, ‘recollecting.’ It is a way to deepen our appreciation for the past—and to bring back a vanishing way of life—so it seems as close as yesterday. Our present lives, and the lives of those who come after us, are enriched by recalling tales that were told a thousand nights around the hearth fire. Those of us who were there can remember—and share the old ways, the customs, the lifestyles, and the faith of our ancestors.
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