Blooms of Old Cahaba ― Stories from the Old South

Blooms of Old Cahaba is a compilation of six years of research and was inspired by the Givhan family history and Cahaba, the first capitol of Alabama and one of the greatest lost jewels of the Old South. From the years of flourish, before the Civil War, affluent Cahaba was widely celebrated all over the world for its rich bounty and the finest cotton land known to civilized man.

Blooms of Old Cahaba consists of something for everyone—stories from the Old South, passed down from many generations of family and friends and told as correctly as can be for hearsay through the years.

It contains excerpts from the diary of a Civil War soldier who was fighting in Wilson’s Raid in Selma, Alabama while writing his story—a first-hand account and much more.

You will understand how our history affects the current generation through the eyes of a young man leaving his childhood for college but not before he comprehends his past.

Blooms of Old Cahaba holds many documents and artifacts including diaries and wills, awards, and commendations of the Givhan family from early 1800s and includes many other historical documents and facts, all rolled together in an intriguing novel that takes you time traveling from before the Civil War into modern day.

John B. Givhan is a soldier, a rancher, a lawyer, and a published author of his memoir Rice and Cotton: South Vietnam and South Alabama. He was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters, and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for his helicopter pilot combat service in the Vietnam War. He was honored by State of Alabama Governor George C. Wallace for extraordinary heroism and service to his state and nation as well. He graduated from Marion Military Institute, Auburn University, and Cumberland School of Law at Samford University (cum laude), Birmingham, Alabama, and practiced law in Andalusia, Alabama, for twenty-four years before retiring from law practice in 1996. He owned and operated Jacob’s Manor Ranch neighboring Safford, Dallas County, Alabama. He was reared on nearby Lime Ridge Farm, where cotton and corn were grown and beef cattle and dairy cattle were raised. Cotton ruled!

J.Cooper is a published writer in many venues of advertising and communications, producing articles for magazines, newsletters and newspapers, including the Montgomery Advertiser. Her last novel – Designs in the Sand, is available on Amazon and other book stores. In addition, she has held various positions in non-profits, such as the Montgomery Lions Club, where she managed the coordination of the nationally televised Blue-Gray All Star Football Classic for sight charities; Executive Director of the Arthritis Foundation, Southeast Alabama Chapter; and AED and Membership Director of the Southeast Alabama Council of Girl Scouts. With her entrepreneurial spirit, she has created and owned several businesses over the years. Cooper has a passion for painting and photography and her work can be viewed at www.coopergalleryworks.com.