Can it be fiction if it’s true?

Yes!

I was not alive in 1939-1040, so the book is a work of fiction. Most of the stories in the book were told to me by my Uncle Frank in 2006. I also have my Momma’s diary, which she kept in 1942, to provide me with context. The backstory of the Bank of Ellenton is true, based on verbal recollections and historical documents.

Baker was estranged from his father and was not included in the children’s portrait taken for Jimmy’s bedside. But the reason for the estrangement is not known; therefore, the letter from Baker to the timber baron is contrived to explain the estrangement.

The pebble jar used in family devotions is also contrived. Mrs. Sutton’s keepsake box included pebbles of unknown origin, so those pebbles became a plot mechanism.

The Bank of Ellenton is an example of a community bank established during the free banking period in the rural South. Although the average lifespan of a bank during this period was only five years, the Bank of Ellenton existed from the mid 1800's until 1927 through three generations of bankers from the same family. The bank is notable for two reasons: it was successfully liquidated during the Depression Era and the liquidation was both initiated and managed by a woman banker, Martha Baker Sutton, acting as Attorney-in-Fact for the bank.   

The charter for the Bank of Ellenton was issued by the state of Georgia and held by Absolom Baker. Banking was very personal in rural areas during the nineteenth century and settlers would approach men such as Mr. Baker when in need of ready cash. According to local history: “At such times, the borrower would be asked to sit down in the house and wait a while. The lender would then absent himself a little while, and come back with the money.” (Covington, W. A:, "History of Colquitt County", page 212, also pages 90, 160. Foote and Davies Company, 1937.)

The oldest existing court dockett in the county documents a "sute" (i.e. lawsuit) filed by Mr. Baker against David Bland for the payment of a promissory note for $14.50. The lawsuit was won on January 23, 1863 by default with interest and cost of lawsuit awarded to Mr. Baker. (Id.) The Covington history refers to Mr. Baker as a local capitalist, rather than a banker, confirming the opportunistic origins of the Bank.    

Absolom Baker ran the bank until his death in 1888, when management was turned over to his five sons. The eldest son, Jared (also known as Richard or "Uncle Dick") Irwin, assumed the Presidency.  

Progress in Colquitt County could be measured by the arrival of the Georgia Northern Railroad in the area in 1893. Moultrie, the county seat, had a population of 50 when the train arrived, which swelled to 1,200 within three years. (Id.) After the rail line was extended to Ellenton, the Bank was established in 1901 in its own building to better serve the saw-mills and turpentine stills springing up to take advantage of the arrival of the railway.

Martha Ann Baker Sutton, Uncle Dick's daughter, was determined to become a banker, although it was not a typical career path for rural women in the South. Without her father's knowledge, she attended and graduated from the Moultrie Business College run by O. H. McClendon. Upon receiving her certificate, she asked her father for a position at the Bank where she was employed for several years before taking control of the Bank in 1927.  

When the first death occurred among Absolom Baker’s sons in 1926, it was necessary to divide the bank assets among his children. It became apparent that the bank could not survive the division of assets among heirs, and it was also determined that the bank’s debt exceeded its assets.

Rather than allowing the Bank to fail, Martha Baker Sutton determined to liquidate the Bank under the supervision of the State of Georgia. When none of the officers or heirs stepped forward to secure an orderly liquidation, Mrs. Sutton personally assumed the assets and debt of the Bank of Ellenton. She then liquidated the Bank of Ellenton under the supervision of Mr. A. B. Mobley, Director of Banking, State of Georgia.

Mrs. Sutton and Mr. Mobley inventoried the assets and obligations of the Bank. Ms. Sutton proceeded to the pay all the obligations, personally taking on debt using her inherited land holdings as collateral. Mr. Mobley certified that no depositor lost funds as a result of the liquidation and that every outstanding loan was satisfied in full by Ms. Sutton.

While the bank liquidation seemed manageable in 1927, it became a great burden after 1929. Mrs. Sutton was not able to retire all the debt from the liquidation until 1955. Successfully liquidating the Bank of Ellenton became her life’s work.