JoCoYo

This episode continues the story of the Norris family from the previous episode "Little Runaway".

Leaving home seems to be family trait with these guys. This is a story of one Norris that didn't like the outcome of the American Civil War. So, he left...and took 20,000 people with him.

In 2020, their descendants haven't forgotten him.

Every kid talks of running away at some point, don't they? 

Well, here's an 11 year old who did. He entered a life at sea and got embroiled in the first naval battle in colonial history.

And there was this path...

A massive hurricane, George Washington, the acquisition of Florida, and a counterfeit operation. All here.

It seems that everybody wants to move to Johnston county. I mean, look at all the subdivisions. And those of us that have lived here for a long time have most certainly heard the new people ask us what did we do for fun here before they came. They think they brought it. Well, here’s your answer…

How often have you thought about the soil under your feet? How often have you thought about people that thought about the soil under you feet that was once under their feet? How often have you thought (in the famous words of the Talking Heads), "How did I get here?"

Same as it ever was.

Actually, not really.

Once you find out about the soil under your feet, you may to yourself,

"My God! What have I done?"

I'll stop now. This is about maps and Johnston County. It's better than you think.

Once, Johnston County lost 10% of his population in 20 years. And they never came back. And I can’t really blame them. Some of them were duped but they all knew exactly what they wanted to do.

Slavery was/is bad. That's indisputable. It's disgusting, immoral, and it's a stain that we will carry with us as a nation, and particularly the South, forever. The Southern leadership was wrong to try to preserve it and they were wrong in how they treated the Freedmen afterwards. The behavior was reprehensible and shameful.

Johnston County gave nearly 1/3 of all of its men to fight for the Confederate military during the American Civil War. On the surface, it confuses me why someone would want to defend the Confederate cause of preserving the heinous practice of slavery. But what if some joined this army, not completely out of racism, but partly out of their own fear?

It’s got to be incredibly difficult to amass any amount of political power without being at least a little corrupt. Or rich. You can be one without the other, but it comes down to money. In a situation Like the politics of Johnston in the early 1910s, Not having it is deadly to your political future. One man learned that the hard way.

At the close of the American Civil War, some saw an opportunity to make the South a better place. A whole new world, so to speak. The reality sits back, waiting to crush a dream.