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BLOG: A Voice In The World - from the Heart of Ginny Dye
March 25, 2014
The Truth I'd Rather Not Know
You're about to find out....
* The truth about my great-great-great grandmother
* When Carried Forward By Hope will be released
* If you're one of the ones who have made me cry!
Let's start with Great-great-great grandmother, Polly Gaffney. If you've been reading my Blog for a while, you know that I discovered my ancestor had given her entire estate to the Ku Klux Klan when she died. That was enough to break my heart...
A couple weeks ago, when I was doing research for Carrie Forward By Hope, I discovered Polly Gaffney was also a murderer.
On or about January 13, 1817, Polly Gaffney allegedly killed a female slave named Phyllis who worked for the family. Phyllis was the slave and legal property of Polly's husband, Michael Gaffney, at the time of the murder, which was said to be very brutal. The female slave was killed with a single knife wound that was 2 inches in length and 6 inches deep, stabbed under the left arm above the rib cage, historical accounts reveal. Her body was allegedly mutilated afterwards.
Polly Gaffney was allowed bail on the charge of $1,000, which was signed for by her husband. A man named Robert Stacey, who evidently served as some type of judge or magistrate at the time, swore out the murder warrant against Mrs. Gaffney.
The historical file of this case states that when the case was tried, Mrs. Gaffney was found guiltyand ordered to pay a 50-pound fine for the murder, along with the court costs. These charges were paid by the Gaffney family.
In fact, Polly never spent any time in jail whatsoever, primarily because she was expecting her sixth child at the time. The child was subsequently born July 9, 1917. (Cornelius John Gaffney)
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Yikes! I also discovered dear Polly also funded, not just the KKK, but the horrifying reign of terror and torture in 1875 that resulted in thousands who were killed to make sure that South Carolina politics continued to be run solely by the white men who had led the South into the Civil War.
Okay - definitely NOT what you want to discover about your ancestors, but it did something very powerful in me. I've always felt not just a desire, but a combination of a compulsion and a responsibility to write these books. Each thing I discover about my family gives me more certainty that I'm MEANT to write these books - to reveal the truth that everyone needs to know because what happened back then is the reason we live in the country we live in RIGHT NOW.
I wasn't sure how much further I was going to go with this series because there are so many other stories I want to tell, but after that enlightening day of research about Polly Gaffney, I know there are many more books coming.
Many more books of those who tried to continue the enslavement of the blacks, and all the courageous people who made sure that didn't happen! Now it's my privilege to tell this story! Be ready for many more books!!
Have you made me cry?? Or laugh?? Or made me so very glad I have the best readers in the world??
If you've written a review of one of my books, you probably did. :) Everytime I get a little overwhelmed by the pressures of research or writing, I go to Amazon and read my Reviews. They never fail to give me the motivation and energy to continue forward.
As I press through to finish Carried Forward By Hope, it would mean the world to me if you would go and leave a review for one (or more) of The Bregdan Chronicles. I will consider it a personal message from you to me...
I'm even going to make it easy for you. :)
Thank you! I'm diving back into research and writing. Thank you in advance for your reviews that will keep me going!
Blessings,
Ginny Dye
Release Date:
May 15th, 2014!!
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