The Bear Went Over the Mountain

Genealogy & Social History of a Southern U.S. Family: the Story of the Native American/English Yates Family, from...Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia

By: Donald N. Yates

Narrated by: Richard V. Dalke

Length: 2 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

This genealogy classic, written in the bad old days of shoe leather and courthouse basements before the Internet, tells of a Southern man's discovery of his Native American ancestry in the 1990s.

Among fascinating regional and local stories, you'll discover how the Yateses of Virginia coped on the frontier…how some Cherokees escaped the Trail of Tears…what the Southern drawl really means…where The Tree That Owns Itself is…how Elisabeth Yates stole her cattle back from Gen. Sherman.

Out of print for years and accessible only in electronic form, this sought-after family history is now available in abridged form retaining all its local color, storytelling and genealogy help in an exciting audiobook version.

©1995 Donald N. Yates (P)2013 Donald N. Yates

Growing Up Southern

Walking in the South, whether it’s hiking or shopping, you smile an engage the people that you met in your daily “goings on”. Where are you from? Who are your people?
Once, that bit of information is exchange the real conversation can begin. All around you as you pass folks in the store sounds of oh yeah, I remember your _ insert mother, father, grandparents cousins. The times we had, the time we shared….

Family history is more than a pastime in the South. It’s part of our fabric. We can’t resist
Knowing about you. That is more than gossip but a genuine caring about folks. We are all kinfolks after all.

Richard Dalke takes us into the story like your favorite uncle setting a spell on the front porch. Cozy and warm. Remembering fun times like making homemade ice cream with a hand crank. The cousins help, the Aunts shell beans and tell you the family. Granpa sleeps in the swing.

“Named for the popular children's song, The Bear Went over the Mountain is more than a genealogy. Atlanta Constitution columnist Ray Tapley called it "a Song of the South." The book follows the author's family lines through ten generations, from colonial Tidewater Virginia to twentieth-century Florida. It contains chapters on all the states where the families lived, as well as special appendices on Southern language and Scots-Irish, Huguenot and Native American family life. The 468-page study has 117 illustrations, including numerous photographs and drawings. It is the most up-to-date compilation available on the Yates surname in American history. The indexes lists over 3,000 names.” This Best description of the book comes from DNA Consultants monthly newsletter.

Even if you think this isn’t about your family but the Yates or Gates family. You will see yourself there and reflect on growing up in the South in the 50’s. Donald Yates the author, takes you from the colonists at Jamestown, and to the South. His own family trace that includes many of us including me. I didn’t know til I read the book, that Thomas Gates captain of the Sea Venture and Ancestor of mine, Surname Gates was also same as Yates. The Coopers played a big part in the settling of the old South West, and Indian Trade. In their long Association with the trail blazers like Daniel Boone in Kentucky; The Chickasaw in TN, MS, and Georgia, The Cherokee in KY, NC, TN, GA, Al and Choctaw in MS and AL.

You will probably see the name of your ancestor mentioned. Some others are the Scottish Clans

I read the e book online when it was shared by the author. I enjoyed it. It reminded me of 2 things That I have memories of, Pineapple sandwiches. I thought this was something my mom thought up. Yates shared them in the book as well as memories of Mimosa trees. My grandparents had one on the corner of the porch. Granpa would snooze in the swing and my cousin and I would climb the tree. He would catch us (peeking from under his straw hat not so asleep) and say, “ you gals get down from that tree.” (Girls aren't allowed to climb trees I guess, when my mom was growing up girls could only wear pants in the fields. It was against the religion of course.) Made me think of that anyway.

It was a good read about some of the things in the South in our youth likewise about some of the earliest families in the colonization of the South. A Book to keep and remember for all of our aunts and grandmothers.

Terrible book. Waste of a book credit.

Terrible book. Waste of a book credit. I don't know why it is on Audible. Don't waste your time.

misleading

Definitely not the book I was searching for, though it bares the same name as the actual book. very depressed I wasted a credit on this purchase

I have taken this journey

After many years of research and DNA testing, I have my family tree as well documented as this author has his Yates line. It is gratifying to me because the Yates lines lived and migrated exactly the same places and traveled the same rivers and roads, state by state, year by year from Virginia to Alabama to Florida. My family went into Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and some went into Texas, we did not go to Florida as the Yates line did.

The early history of our family migrations from Virginia to Alabama over the years is the same.

I expected something different.

struggled to finish this one. starts rather well, and ill recommend this to any member of the Yates family.