Weaving a Story from Your Family History
Third Thursday Talk With Jeff Ishee
Thursday, November 20, 2025, 7:00 pm
Many family history enthusiasts have lots of hard data – birth dates, marriage certificates, military records, etc. But what is the STORY of your family’s history? During this presentation, Jeff will explore how he used all the known facts about his family’s immigration to the United States to write two historical fiction novels. His most recent book, Magnolia Frontier, describes how three brothers settled in the Mississippi Territory in the early 1800s. The story also has a distinctive link to the Shenandoah Valley.
Jeff W. Ishee is an award-winning journalist with a career in radio, television, and print media. He is passionate about gardening, genealogy, American history, and growing heirloom peanuts. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard three ships of the Atlantic Fleet. Jeff is married to Carole Marshall Ishee and lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Copies of Ishee’s two books, Two Sacks and Magnolia Frontier, are available through the Rocktown History Bookstore. Order for pick-up for shipping. Sales and signing also at the event.