Today I’m happy to share a new Jordan’s Journey video with you. This video is pretty different from the others I’ve shown here so far. The short film tells the story of my trip to Arkansas in September 2011, searching out the story of my 3rd great-grandfather Francis Marion Holcomb (about 1832-1864).

This video would not have been possible without the help of Joyce Wood (who is featured in the video). Joyce helped me learn much more about Caney Fork than I ever could have on my own. Unfortunately, it’s an area that has been largely forgotten even to long time residents of Pike County. Joyce knows so much about the area because she and her family are virtually the only people to have lived there in modern times. Joyce’s family were pioneers just like in the old days, living in a cabin without electricity (it is not available in the area) or any of the creature comforts most of us take for granted every day.

The map below shows the main places I visited in the video, starting at the Pike County Archives and History Society in Murfreesboro, up Highway 27 to Shawmut Road, and then deep into the heart of Caney Fork.

To read more about Caney Fork, see my article (written with Joyce Wood) in the Summer & Fall 2011 edition of The Gems, which is also included in my book with original photos. Until the article and now this video, the history of Caney Fork was completely unwritten–not even discussed in Pike County’s official history book. I’m happy to have remedied that situation now, forever preserving the story of that little place loved by my Holcomb ancestors and so many others.

Join me on this trip into the past of Caney Fork! Let me know what you think of this video by dropping a line in the comments.


View Caney Fork in a larger map

Take a trip into the past

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