Mildred Rebecca Prewett Ingram wrote under the pen name Bowen Ingram. She was born in Gordonsville, a town named for her ancestor, John Gordon. Always interested in writing, Ingram published her first poem at age 12. She married Daniel Taylor Ingram, Commandant of Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, and began to write for publication after her three children reached school age. Five stories appeared in the New Yorker; one short story, “Death of a Slave,” became the basis for her novel, Milbrey. Ingram spent the last several years of her life living on her daughter’s farm in Williamson County, the place where she had lived with her sister in a log house.

–Milbrey, 1972
–If Passion Flies
–Light as the Morning, 1954

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Irvin, Susie Sims (1927- )

Born and reared in Nashville, Susie Sims Irvin moved to Franklin after her marriage to Shearer Irvin. Many of her Franklin years were spent on a farm that is now part of the Fieldstone Farms subdivision. A graduate of Vanderbilt University where she studied with Fugitive poet Donald Davidson, she has twice been a participant of the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and twice read at the Southern Festival of Books. Irvin served as the founder and first president of the Church Women United of Franklin and Williamson County and as the founder and chairman of Franklin Childcare CenterBoard. She has been a member of the Stoney Crest Garden Club and The Study Club of Nashville and often used her poems as part of their meetings. She developed into a poet/painter, having studied painting at UT Nashville, MTSU, the Vermont Studio school and the Stonington Maine Workshop. Irvin has been published in a number of poetry collections and periodicals and has won awards in several poetry contests. She is a member of First United Methodist Church in Franklin. In 2003 she was inducted into the Williamson County Authors’ Hall of Fame.

–Too Tall Alice, 2008
–Clouds for the Table, 2001
–Falls Even Now the Seed, 1993
–SHHHH . . . It’s Time for the Devotional, 1981, 1993

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Jamieson, Shelley (1939- )

Shelley Jamieson was born in Sheffield, Alabama, and spent her childhood in various communities, including Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the towns of Blue Mountain, Slayden, Fulton, and Chalybeate in Northeast Mississippi. She resided in Brentwood, Tennessee for 29 years, and now resides in Franklin. Before retiring, she was a teacher, a school guidance counselor, and a social counselor. Her interest in writing got its start after her retirement, when she began recording family history to pass on to her descendants. She has had several published magazine articles.

–How Did I Get Here: The Root of the Matter, 2008

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Janosky, Jim

A native of western Pennsylvania, Jim Janosky earned a B.S. in biology and an M.A. in horticulture. He worked as a horticultural extension agent in Erie County until the winters sent him to Florida. While living there from 1986 until 1991, he spent all his extra time exploring Lake Okeechobee with his camera and learning all he could about that area. The result is his book, a nonfiction photo essay. He began visiting Nashville in 1977 because of his interest in songwriting. In 1991 he moved to the Leipers Fork area and began teaching science and photography at Hillsboro Middle School, as well as pursuing his career as a singer/songwriter.

–Okeechobee—A Modern Frontier, 1996

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Jefferson, Virginia Carson (1893-1993)

Born in 1893 in Coffee County, Virginia Carson Jefferson was the daughter of a country doctor. In 1922 she became the second University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Agent for Williamson County and remained in that position until 1944 when she married Bob Jefferson. After her retirement, she stayed in Williamson County, continuing to provide people with the details of the early days of the Agricultural Extension Agency. Her book of recollections was published in her ninety-ninth year of life.

–Recollections of Virginia Carson Jefferson: A Childhood in Manchester Tennessee, Coffee County, 1993

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Jenkins, Barbara (Milom)

Born in Doniphon, Missouri, Barbara Jenkins graduated from the College of the Ozarks with a degree in English. She worked her way through college as a photographer; since then her work has appeared in National Geographic, People, and other magazines. She appeared on several national television shows. Jenkins lived in Spring Hill for several years.

–Wit and Wisdom for Women: How to Stay on Track in These Fast Times, 1996
–I Once Knew a Woman: A Patchwork of Seven Unforgettable Americans, 1990
–The Road Unseen (with Peter Jenkins), 1985
–The Walk West: A Walk Across America 2 (with Peter Jenkins), 1981

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Jerkins, Terri Wood (1956- )

Terri Jerkins grew up in the Madison area, but her family moved to Williamson County after the Rivergate development bought their family farm. She graduated from David Lipscomb University and the University of Tennessee Medical School in Memphis. Dr. Jerkins now practices endocrinology, specializing in diabetes, in Nashville. She, her pharmacist husband, their five children, and their horses live on a 220-acre farm in western Williamson County.

–On Wings and Prayers, 2001
–Searching for Paul: a Novel, 2000
–Going Forward, Looking Back, 1995

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Johnson, Darren

Born and reared in Nashville, Darren Johnson graduated from Tennessee State University with a major in business administration and a minor in psychology. He began his career with General Motors as a manager. He also worked with Hughes Aircraft and Nissan as an organization development consultant, where he did training, coaching, and counseling with employees on all levels. Johnson found his talent was in counseling with a combination of common sense and Biblical foundations. In 1994 he became an independent speaker, trainer, and author. He then created the “Letting Go of Stuff™” series. In 2000 he moved to Franklin, maintaining a home there while pursuing career goals in Washington, D.C.

–The Art of Letting Go of Stuff, 1999

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Johnston, David Owen (1930- )

David O. Johnston was born in Williamson County. He attended Franklin schools, Peabody College, MTSU, the University of Mississippi, and Vanderbilt University, where he did post-doctoral research in chemistry. Johnston taught chemistry at Franklin High School and at David Lipscomb University, where he was Justin Potter Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, retiring in 1990.

–World of Chemistry (with Mark M. Jones et al.), 1991
–World of Chemistry Essentials (with Melvin D. Josten et al.), 1991
–Laboratory Manual, World of Chemistry (with Mark M. Jones et al.), 1991
–Chemistry: Impact on Society (with Mark M. Jones et al.), 1988
–Chemistry and Society (with Melvin D. Josten et al.), 1986
–La Chemica E L’Vomo (with Mark M. Jones et al.), 1983
–Chemistry and the Environment (with John T. Netterville et al.), 1973
–Laboratory Manual for Chemistry, Man, and Society (with Mark M. Jones, et al.), 1972
–Chemistry, Man, and Society (with Mark M. Jones et al.), 1972
–Quimica (with John W. Dawson et al.), 1971
–Laboratory Manual for Chemistry: A Brief Introduction (with James L. Wood et al.), 1970
–Chemistry: A Brief Introduction (with Mark M. Jones et al.), 1969

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Jones, Nancy

Nancy Jones grew up and worked in Louisiana until a chance encounter led her to spend an evening with the famed country music singer George Jones, whom she married. Since then she has lived in various parts of the south as his work dictated. Now in Williamson County, she collaborated with Jones’ biographer to let the wives of the great country singers speak in their own voices.

–Nashville Wives (co-author Tom Carter), 1998

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Jones, Madison (1925- )

Although he grew up in Nashville, Madison Jones spent part of his youth on his father’s farm, first in Cheatham County and then on the Harpeth Valley Farm on Hillsboro Road in Williamson County. These early experiences are evident in his novels. He graduated from Vanderbilt University and taught at Miami of Ohio, the University of Tennessee, and Auburn University. His most famous novel, A Cry of Absence, was set in Franklin, and one of his novels, An Exile, was made into the movie I Walk the Line starring Gregory Peck. Jones’ work won serious critical acclaim. The Williamson County Arts Council inducted Jones into its Authors’ Hall of Fame in 1995.

–Herod’s Wife, 2003
–Nashville 1864: The Dying of the Light, 1997
–To the Winds, 1996
–An Exile, 1991
–Last Things, 1989
–Buried Land, 1987
–Season of the Strangler, 1982
–Passage Through Gehenna, 1978
–A Cry of Absence, 1971
–Forest of the Night, 1960
–History of the Tennessee State Dental Association (with Thomas Dow), 1958
–The Innocent, 1957

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Jones, Timothy (1955- )

Timothy Jones grew up in southern California, graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary, and served as a pastor for several years before becoming involved in editing and publishing Christian literature. He has worked with Christianity Today and The Upper Room. He lives in Nolensville.

–Turn my Mourning into Dancing by Henri Nouwen (compiler and editor), 2001
–Prayer’s Apprentice: a Year with the Great Spiritual Mentors, 2000
–A Place for God, 2000
–The Next American Spirituality (with George Gallup), 2000
–Nurturing a Child's Soul, 2000
–Workday Prayers, 2000
–Awake My Soul: Practical Spirituality for Busy People, 1999
–Spiritual Formation Bible: Growing in Intimacy with God Through Scripture (general editor), 1999
–21 Days to a Better Quiet Time with God, 1998
–Finding a Spiritual Friend, 1998
–The Art of Prayer, 1997
–Celebration of Angels, 1994
–Friendship Connection, 1993
–Saints Among Us (with George Gallup, Jr.), 1992
–Mentor and Friend, 1991

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Jordan, Jeff

Jeff Jordan is a native of Williamson County and a graduate of the University of Tennessee. For several years, he taught English and psychology at Franklin High School where he coached the wrestling team. Married and the father of three children, Jordan turned to farming, writing, and coaching high school wrestling in Palmyra, Tennessee.

–Beyond the Rainbow, 1993

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Judd, Naomi

Naomi Judd was born in Ashland, Kentucky, the daughter of a gas station owner and riverboat cook. She and her two daughters moved first to Hollywood, then to Williamson County, where she became a nurse at the Williamson County Medical Center. While working as a nurse, Judd tried to make it in the music industry, achieving success in 1984 when she and daughter Wynonna began a career as a country music duo. All of their albums went platinum, and the Judds won eight Grammy Awards. Judd’s other daughter, Ashley, is a well-known movie actress. All three of them have lived on farms in Williamson County.

–Naomi’s Breakthrough Guide: 20 Choices to Transform Your Life, 2004
–Naomi Judd’s Guardian Angels, 2000
–Love Can Build a Bridge (with Wynonna Judd and Bud Schaitzle), 1994
–Naomi’s Home Companion: A Treasury of Favorite Recipes, Food for Thought, and Kitchen Wit and Wisdom, 1997

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Jules, Jacqueline (see: Hechtkopf, Jacqueline)

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