Oh Promised Land

In 1795 the rugged and dangerous Mississippi Territory is open for exploration and settlement by the rare few who have the courage and determination to survive.  When pioneers Sam'l Dabney and his sister, Honoria, lose their parents in a Creek attack and must leave Georgia to begin new lives, they head for French-held Louisiana in order to find “Lock Poka”, which in Choktaw means “here we rest” or “promised land”.


     Sam Dabney is a man of rare strength and size and resolute spirit – a larger-than-life hero who  rises by his boldness and acumen from being "ol' man Dabney's brat" to a man of consequence in the settling, trading, and armed protection of the land.  Sam, his sister Honoria, his wife Donna, and his Choktaw companion, Tishomingo, form the core of this panoramic saga ― Sam is an opportunist and is quick to take risks in order to establish himself and support his family; Donna, devoted but delicate, finds her life threatened by fever, but helps Sam guard a dangerous secret;  Honoria, beautiful, unscrupulous and greedy, makes money her only standard; and Tishmingo works to develop an English alphabet for the Cherokee language and fulfills a debt of hatred. The story also teems with historical characters, Indians, renegades, politicians, pioneers, slaves and richly portrayed incidental figures as well as facts about French, Spanish, British and American interests that enhance or impede progress on every page.  



     Oh Promised Land is the first book in a five novel saga of the unforgettable Dabney family.  A robust and entertaining picture of a period (1795-1817) meticulously researched and convincingly portrayed.