Wilmington Star News - February 20, 2008

"Savannah Grey"
Contributed by Ben Steelman - Posted: February 20, 2008 6:30:41 PM

Jim Jordan, a historian and tour guide from Callawassie Island, S.C., will be the next speaker Thursday night (Feb. 21) for the Cape Fear Civil War Roundtable. (The social hour begins at 7 p.m. at St. Andrews-on-the-Sound Episcopal Church.) He'll be talking about the South on the eve of the Late Unpleasantness.

Jordan recently published an intriguing novel on this subject: Savannah Grey: A Tale of Antebellum Georgia (XLibris, $26.99 paperback). Jordan's story covers Savannah from the 1830s through 1861, as seen through the eyes of a planter's son and a slave brickmaker working to achieve his freedom. Meticulously researched, the book features a cast including more than 200 actual Savannah residents.

The book has more than passing interest for Wilmington residents since Jordan discusses the destruction of the SS Pulaski, a steamboat sailing north from Savannah with a number of prominent Georgians aboard. The ship's boiler exploded off the North Carolina coast, not far from Wilmington, on June 14, 1838, with the loss of 140 lives. The catastrophe convinced Congress to create the Steamboat Inspection Service, which eventually became part of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Island Packet – October 10, 2007

Savannah Grey: a Tale of Antebellum Georgia
Savannah comes to life in this thoroughly researched and enjoyable novel of pre-Civil War Savannah. It is a treat to "walk" these familiar streets in a different time, a time of early growth with the foreshadowing of events that will shape this great Southern city.

Author Jim Jordan mixes an impressive cast of actual figures from local history with a diverse entourage of fictional folks. It is the story of plantation owners and slaves and their oft-shared hopes and dreams for their families and their city, despite the wedge of "The Peculiar Institution." This historical novel is a must-read for those who like their history neatly packaged with an engrossing plot and memorable characters.


National Genealogical Society online newsletter – December 3, 2007


- A New Antebellum Book: Review by Jan Alpert

You may have figured out that I have no ancestors south of the
Mason-Dixon Line, which is the reason most of my book reviews and
articles cover someone or something that happened from New England to
the Mid-west.

Savannah Grey, A tale of Antebellum Georgia, is the first novel by author Jim Jordan, a Savannah historian and tour guide. The title is taken from the name of local bricks used to build many of the early buildings in Savannah.

If you have ancestors who lived in Georgia during the first half of the 19th Century, you will enjoy the history of the economic development of Georgia.
If you appreciate architecture, and especially if you have ever walked around any of the famous squares in Savannah, you will enjoy Jim Jordan's detailed descriptions of the historic buildings and churches.

The story of Andrew McBain, an African American who was freed by the McBain family, will touch your heart and provide you with a broad perspective of living in Antebellum Georgia. The story includes life on a plantation, the restrictions on a free man of color, and the horrors of the slave trade in Africa. Jordan skillfully ties the story into many
historical events. In the appendix he lists the non-fictional characters, so you can distinguish fact from fiction in the story. You can obtain the book from www.Amazon.com or if you want to order a number of books for a book club, you can contact the author directly at jjordan0408@charter.net.