In 1923, Granny Dollar emerged from the obscurity in the mountain community of River Park on Lookout Mountain in DeKalb County, Alabama. She was purported to be a 101 year-old, half-Cherokee who survived the forced emigration, of the Cherokee in 1838, when the U.S. military forced some 15,000 Cherokees from their homes in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee and moved them west to Indian Territory. For over ninety years, her actual identity has remained a mystery. The author, a 25-year veteran FBI agent (retired), has spent years investigating this mystery. Now, for the first time, the real story of Granny Dollar has been told. The reader will learn that Granny Dollar's tale about her own life was a myth constructed over many years to help her achieve economic autonomy by laboring as a granny midwife, folk healer, fortune-teller, and conjurer. Her tale was also useful to for covering shameful details surrounding her family's history. Ultimately, her persona served to ensure her well-being and security when she could no longer work and in a place and time when a single woman had few alternatives.
In 1923, Granny Dollar emerged from the obscurity in the mountain community of River Park on Lookout Mountain in DeKalb County, Alabama. She was purported to be a 101 year-old, half-Cherokee who survived the forced emigration, of the Cherokee in 1838, when the U.S. military forced some 15,000 Cherokees from their homes in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee and moved them west to Indian Territory. For over ninety years, her actual identity has remained a mystery. The author, a 25-year veteran FBI agent (retired), has spent years investigating this mystery. Now, for the first time, the real story of Granny Dollar has been told. The reader will learn that Granny Dollar's tale about her own life was a myth constructed over many years to help her achieve economic autonomy by laboring as a granny midwife, folk healer, fortune-teller, and conjurer. Her tale was also useful to for covering shameful details surrounding her family's history. Ultimately, her persona served to ensure her well-being and security when she could no longer work and in a place and time when a single woman had few alternatives.
