Most Southerners are descendants of Europeans from England, Ireland or Scotland. A great number also claim to have Native American ancestry which is not surprising since in the early settlement of North American there was considerable intermarriage between whites and Indians. Debra Hughey's Whispering Cedars chronicles early pioneers who settled in South Carolina and their descendants who eventually traveled to Alabama. These are the people who helped to build America as they persevered through severe weather, hostel Indian attacks, good times, lean times, sad times, peaceful times and war times.