Forty Acres and a Red Belly Ford: 
The Smith Family of Calloway County

 

Bryant’s first major book, Forty Acres & A Red Belly Ford: The Smith Family of Calloway County, is both a family history and a tribute to a vanishing agrarian tradition. The book remains in print and continues to be in demand among genealogists and local history enthusiasts.
Passions of the Black Patch
Cooking & Quilting in Western Kentucky

Bryant's award-winning Passions of the Black Patch: Cooking and Quilting in Western Kentucky is one of the best-loved collections of Kentucky recipes, quilting lore, and rural family stories. The book remains widely cited in regional scholarship on Kentucky folkways, food culture, and women’s history.


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Farming in the Black Patch

Farming in the Black Patch, published in 2015 by Acclaim Press, documents the history and present-day practice of dark-fired tobacco farming in Western Kentucky and Tennessee. The book provides a definitive record of the Black Patch region, its unique agricultural methods, and its family-centered culture. This volume remains available in limited quantities. The book also serves as a companion to the acclaimed television documentary by the same name. 


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A Beautiful Star: The Life of Lois Etoile Brewer

This biographical memoir explores the daily lives and social changes experienced by a Kentucky woman on a family farm, tracing themes of resilience and community through the 20th century. Published in 2018, it remains available to readers of local history.


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My First 80 Years: Bettie Louise Smith Stoll

My First 80 Years: Bettie Louise Smith Stoll, published for family members, this treasured keepsake captures the oral reminiscences and memoirs of Bryant’s Aunt Bettie.  


Private Edition
Calloway County, Kentucky: Celebrating the First 200 Years 

Sponsored by the Calloway County Fiscal Court and supported by the Calloway County Genealogical and Historical Society, this incredible record was edited and co-authored by Bryant along with Dr. Randy Patterson and Pat Seiber for the Calloway County bicentennial. It is considered one of the state’s most inclusive recent county histories.


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Bygone Churches of Calloway County, 1820–2024

Sponsored by the Calloway County Genealogical and Historical Society, this is a compendium of histories, photographs, and archival documents for more than 100 historical church buildings and congregations that shaped local life, yet have since disappeared. The project was edited and co-authored by Bryant and remains available in limited quantities. 


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Bygone Churches of Calloway County, 1820–2024
The Man Journey: Moving Towards Greatness

Tim Brown’s The Man Journey is a bold, faith-driven roadmap for men seeking to rediscover their identity, purpose, and spiritual strength. Bobbie assisted Tim as co-author in this invitation for men to find their identity through a transformative process rooted in biblical truth and personal reflection. Released in fall 2025, and currently available. 


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Man Journey
Was I Ever So Surprised: The Adventures of Billy Smith

Bobbie’s most recent publication currently in production, Was I Ever So Surprised: The Adventures of Billy Smith, chronicles the personal stories of her dad’s childhood and life experiences as he traveled to every continent in the world. At the heart of the book are Billy Smith’s rich memories of growing up in rural Kentucky, his commitment to build a life with Shirley—his steadfast companion—and the adventures they embraced together as they explored the wider world beyond their beloved homeplace.


To be released in 2026.