Joseph Roark, His Life and Times Book
by John J. Roark,
This biography of Joseph Roark, 1813-1876, is the story of the early American frontier
and the pioneer settlers who tamed the wilderness, built homes for their families,
and turned the sod for its first cultivated crop. Joseph Roark, the son and gradson
of pioneer settlers in southwest Virginia and northern Tennessee, was born on the
Fourth of July among the steep ridges of western Claiborne county, Tennessee, within
site of the Cumberland Gap. The author, great-grndson of the biography's subject,
tells of the 1780 massacre of Joseph Roark's grandmother and her familyon the Virginia
frontier and of his father's captivity at the hands of the Shawnees. primarily,
however, the story centers on the life of the subject and the conditions under which he
lived as the county struggled through expansion and civil war.
We see Joseph Roark in early childhood, the seventh of eleven children, being taught to
read and write by his mother and educated by his father in the business of farming. We
follow him through his first paid job and his leaving home at age nineteen to travel
south along the Tennessee River. The biography shows us a young man of intensity and
serious demeanor, married before he was twenty, eager to take advantage of fronier
opportunities.
We watch him establish his homestead in lands vacated by Cherokees and master the
uncertainites of an economy with no banks, little cash, and limited possessions. We see
his family grow and his fortunes expand and we gain an understanding of how business
was conducted through the use of crudel written promissory notes, the value of which
was principally determined by the reputation and character of the issurer.
We suffer with him through teh American Civil War when his hard-earned success as a
farmer is destroyed and sorrow with him in the loss of three daughters. We see his
true character displayed as he overcomes hardships during the divisive Reconstruction
era. Following his death, we see the settlement of his estate and the dispersion of
his family as the country continued its westward expansion.
The biographical work is well documented and makes full sue of the personal papers
of Joseph Roark. The author's research had been creatively developed into a life story
on the American frontier.
Meet the Author
John J. Roark is a graduate of Texas A&M University with B.S. and Masters degrees in
civil engineering. He served as city engineer for three Texas cities and in 1976 was
elected president of the American Public Works Association. From 1970 t 1980 he was
responsible for transporation planning for the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitn area.
The last 20 years of his career were devoted to the development of commericial real
estate. Aveteran of the USAF, he retired as a brigadier general on the Texas Air
Nation Guard.
HAVE YOU HEARD THE LATEST NEWS ???
THE RESPONSE TO THE BOOK SALES HAS BEEN GREAT!!!!
The Sales Committee appreciates the response already given to the purchase of Joseph Roark, His Life
and Times.Since October, we are approximately to the halfway mark - selling the book written by our
own John J. Roark. It is an outstanding biography and recorded history of our people. Do not fail to order a copy for your
family's ancestral information. Sell a book to a friend or give a copy as a gift .... We will be grateful for your help to
complete the sale of the books. Should it be necessary to ever print a second edition, the price would, by necessity, increase.
We are pleased to share with you what people are saying about the book by the very favorable endorsements, which follow.
Faye Thompson,
Jenna Mathews,
Beth Thornton
Joseph Roark, His Life and Times is a delightful reading experience. The book mirrors
the economic and social framework relating to an individual and his family within Tennessee between 1813 and 1876.
Highly scholarly, well documented, filled with copies of historical records and photographs, the strength and character of
an individual and his family beautifully and thoughtfully unfolds.
Joan Loope Franks
Historian and Preservationist
Chattanooga, Tennessee
John J. Roark can be very proud of his book Joseph Roark, His Life and Times. You
feel like you are living right with Joseph during his young years, his marriage, his family, his ambitions, and fulfilling life, up
until his death. I learned about the times and lives of my ancestors (Maximilian Haney and Martha Conner) who had close
family ties with this pioneering Roark family. This book is hard to put down once you start reading.
Martha Helen Conner Byrd
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
I had reservations about reading this "Big Book" but it has been a rewarding experience. Do not think this is a book of a
string of dates, births, marriages, deaths, and more dates. It certainly is NOT! ! It is highly readable, can be read in segments
by decade if desired, and I am certainly glad to have increased my knowledge of both ancestry and history. There can be no
doubt concerning the accuracy of any event mentioned because of the extensive and meticulous research the author has
done. It is a book that I will display with pride on my bookshelves. If anyone has the least bit of interest in our ancestry or
our pioneer history, I think you will truly benefit from reading this outstanding book.
Jean Roark Delzell
Nashville, Tennessee
Joseph Roark, His Life and Times - Not only words on a page, but real people, our
pioneer ancestors! It's alive and real! Share in the joy, heartbreak, sadness and triumph as the author takes us on a journey
through these pages that will leave a lasting imprint on the memory. Words cannot express my gratitude for this monumental
historic and biographical achievement. Thanks, John, for "passing the torch."
Linzey W. Estridge
Family Historian and descendant of Lucy Bolen Eastridge
Big Stone Gap, Virginia
Joseph Roark, His Life and Times is a wonderful gift to those of us who live in these
times. It is the story of courage and determination through some of the darker days of the history of our nation. Author
John J. Roark weaves the story of his ancestor into the events of his day, allowing the reader to experience the challenges
of settling the frontier south and the traumas of the Civil War. Accounts of the joys and sorrows of Joseph Roark's family
life are an inspiration for families in any generation, but especially now that we as a country face dark days from terrorist acts.
Doris S. Thornton
Retired Associate Professor,
University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee
I love it . . . my first experience to feel a connection to a historical work. It was a "must read" for me.
Dorothy Witt Harris
Witt Family Historian
Azle, Texas
John J. Roark's newest book, Joseph Roark, His Life and Times, does what most
historical biographies promise, but few deliver: it gives us, the readers, a sense of the tight-knit community and economic
isolation in which Tennessee pioneer Joseph Roark lived, worked and died. Unable to obtain currency for his businesses,
Roark instead relies on his reputation and honor as a man of strong character to provide credit for his financial ventures
and family's needs. He keeps his family afloat during the cataclysmic tides that civil war and reconstruction send rolling
over his community, the Salem neighborhood of Hamilton County. Roark's book adds new light to the faded memories and
ledgers of a generation past.
Elizabeth J. Conner
Educator, Historian and Author
Hallettsville, Texas
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To order a copy provide the following information and mail to the address shown.
Price: $25.00 per copy plus $4.00 postage & handling. For additional copies in the same mailing, postage & handling is $1.00 each.
Please enclose this lower portion with your order (please print) and mail to:
Mr. Carrol Mathews,
Treasurer, Roark-Conner Association
7721 Terry Drive
Fort Worth, Texas, 76180
Name_______________________________________ Copies ________
Address _____________________________________ Amount Enclosed $ _________
City & State _________________________ Zip Code ________ E-mail Address _______________________
Please have the author sign my copy(ies) Yes _____ No _____
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