by Pharris Johnson (Author)
Noted educator and author Julia Elizabeth Harn (1852-1941) wrote a series of vivid first-person accounts of life in the backwoods of the Ogeechee and Canoochee river areas of southeast Georgia immediately before, during and just after the Civil War. These memoirs are among the most intriguing available for this location and time period. Upon reading these sketches in the Georgia Historical Quarterly, local historian Pharris Johnson felt they had tremendous historical and cultural importance. After reviewing Harn's correspondence at the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah, her manuscripts in the University of Florida Library Special Collections, and information in the Georgia Southern University Henderson Library, he undertook compiling Julia Harn's stories in a single volume. This book's purpose is to provide future generations full and easy access to Julia's fine work, and additionally to honor the memory of this remarkable writer.
Author Biography
Pharris Johnson's interest in local history led him to write five previous books on the subject. These include Evans County and the Creation of Ft. Stewart, Georgia; Under the Southern Cross - Soldier Life with Gordon Bradwell and the Army of Northern Virginia; Bellville, Georgia, The First Hundred Years; Houses of Heart Pine - A Survey of the Antebellum Architecture of Evans County, Georgia; and Tattnall County Deed Book D-E-F. He also co-authored Images of America: Evans County. Johnson served in the Air Force as a colonel and held logistics positions at base, headquarters, and Defense Logistics Agency levels during his 28-year military career. After he retired from the Air Force, Johnson served in leadership roles with the Savannah College of Art and Design at both the Savannah and Atlanta campuses. Johnson and his wife, Annie, live in Bellville, Georgia, where he serves as mayor.