Calling All Characters

— By Pat Simmons

The beginning of my author bio reads, “Pat Simmons is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth who is passionate about researching her ancestors and then casting them in starring roles in her novels in the hope of tracking down any distant relatives who might happen to pick up her books.” 

That pretty much sums up my passion. In my earlier novels, I listed the surnames of the relatives I was actively searching for. Fast forward fifteen years later with dozens of Christian titles published, I no longer do that. 

When I received my first book contract for Guilty of Love in 2006, I wanted genealogy to be part of the storyline, so I developed characters of a close-knit family of genealogy enthusiasts. While researching my roots, I’ve uncovered tidbits that had nothing to do with my family that I could weave into my storylines. 

For example, as I scanned pages in the 1860 Mississippi Morbidity Book, for surnames of my deceased relatives, I wasn’t expecting “Negroes” to be listed as a last name beginning with ‘N’. From Anna Belle to Zachary. Although heartbreaking, I incorporated the discovery into Book 5 where the sons of a single mother carried the father’s last name, and Kidd Jamieson despised that until he learned the history of the nameless enslaved. 

But before my series started, I had to decide what names to give my characters. Trust me, there is a formula. On my maternal mother’s side, we have three generations of Charlotte. I chose that name for the matriarch of my hero. The last name was more problematic. If the story, plot, and characters are memorable, their surname would be synonymous with me, the author, and I use my real name. One famous romance author of color, Brenda Jackson, had the Madaris men in a series of books, and, if readers talked about those fine men, automatically, Brenda Jackson’s name would come up. 

I had first names, Charlotte for the mom, and Parke IV, her son who boasted that he was the tenth-generation descendant of a royal tribe. But what surname would stand out? I randomly chose Jamieson. I didn’t know anyone by that name, but I thought it had a nice ring.

Son of John A. Wilkinson and Charlotte Jamison

My writing deadline took hours away from my family research when I ran into a brick wall. My second great-grandmother Charlotte Wilkerson, and her two sons: William, my great grandfather (born two years after the Emancipation Proclamation), and his younger brother, Sam, were on the 1880 census but were missing from 1870, and that nagged at me.

I reached out to fellow genealogists for help. One came back with a piece of information that changed everything. “The reason you couldn’t find Charlotte Wilkerson in Clay County, Mississippi, was because she—” hold your breath “—carried the name of her slaveholder–Robert Jamison—spelled without the ‘e’.

Stunned, I couldn’t believe it. What I thought was random was a connection. After I turned in my manuscript to my editor, I headed to the library to follow the clues. This was during the time Ancestry.com hadn’t become a “must-have” for researchers. I saw Robert Jamison in the same county as Charlotte on the 1870 census. There was another mystery to solve. Where did the name Wilkerson come from if it wasn’t the slaveholder’s? When I checked the 1860 census, I blinked at the occupants in Robert’s house. Among his family, there was a guest, John Wilkinson, listed as a teacher in the academy. I muffled a scream, “I found him!” It was a bittersweet moment—excitement and rage. I waved Chris over to my computer. She was a sweet Jewish woman who worked in the library genealogy department.

“I’m sorry,” was Chris’ first response after I shared my discovery. Although she hadn’t enslaved my ancestors, I always appreciate the compassion felt when it comes from others besides Black people.

With the help of another researcher from the Mississippi library, I have a photo of my second great-grandfather, John Wilkinson, who helped fund a school, served in the Confederate States of America, and married the slaveholder’s oldest daughter, Artemisa (Artie) Jamison. The plot continues to thicken.

John fathered another son, Samuel, with my second great-grandmother, Charlotte. John and his wife Artie named one of their sons Samuel too. Hmmm. Now, who had the bragging rights to that? Unfortunately, Artie and John’s son died as a teenager at thirteen years old.

John Wilkinson came from money. His mother was a daughter of a judge, and his brother was an attorney. I managed to connect with one of John’s white descendants. To my surprise, I was closer on the tree than her—three generations removed from John Wilkinson. She was seventh on the tree.

Caradine Cemetery – Clay County, MS

Readers couldn’t get enough of the Jamiesons: Charlotte, Parke IV, and the beloved Grandma BB. Moody Publishers renamed The Guilty series The Jamieson Legacy, which is now ten books strong and growing. I believe God wanted me to know I was on the right path at the start of my now 15-year writing career. Giving characters names after my ancestors is a great way to keep their memories alive.

Charlotte never used the Wilkerson (Wilkinson) surname again after the 1880 census. She went back to Jamison and lived to 80 years old. According to a book from the family of Bird Caradine, “Aunt Charlotte” lived in their backyard. The Caradines were one of the largest slaveholding families in the county. She was buried in their family cemetery. Yet, the state has no record of her death. The plot continues to thicken in my books and in my family research.

Author: Pat Simmons is a multi-published Christian romance author with more than thirty-five titles. She is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth who is passionate about researching her ancestors, then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She is a five-time recipient of the RSJ Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance: Still Guilty, Crowning Glory, The Confession, Christmas Dinner, and Queen’s Surrender (To A Higher Calling). Pat’s first inspirational women’s fiction, Lean On Me, with Sourcebooks, was the February/March Together We Read Digital Book Club pick for the national library system. Here for You and Stand by Me are also part of the Family is Forever series. Her holiday indie release, Christmas Dinner, and traditionally published, Here for You were featured in Woman’s World, a national magazine. Here for You was also listed in the “7 Great Reads That Help to Keep the Faith” by Sisters From AARP. She contributed an article, “I’m Listening,” in the Chicken Soup for the Soul: I’m Speaking Now (2021). 

As a Christian, Pat describes the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as a life-altering experience. She has been a featured speaker and workshop presenter at various venues across the country. Pat has converted her sofa-strapped sports fanatical husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, GPS-guided chauffeur, and administrative assistant who is constantly on probation. They have a son and a daughter. Pat holds a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts and has worked in radio, television, and print media for more than twenty years. She oversaw the media publicity for the annual RT Booklovers Conventions for fourteen years. Visit her at www.patsimmons.net.  

More information on the Wilkersons/Wilkinsons & Jamisons may be found here and here.

©2022, Pat Simmons. All rights reserved.