Appalachia’s Storyteller: God, Guns, & Appalachia

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

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[@mikedeko3627]

@The Appalachian Storyteller, Hi, First off Excellent story, We fully enjoyed this video. In the beginning of the video the storyteller states that He grew up in Virginia a place called "The Hollow" on the East slope of the Appalachians and right above the N.Carolina Border. Can you tell me where this is located? What town is it near. We are trying to find the area on Google maps. Thanks so much. Mike and Friends.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

@@mikedeko3627 later in the video "I walked 7 miles to Mt. Airy NC and bought my first pair of long pants and a pistol"

[@mikedeko3627]

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller Thank You. I did watch the whole vid but didnt remember that.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

@@mikedeko3627 no worries my friend

[@dovely9279]

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller Sounds like Cana, Lambsburg, or Fancy Gap area.

[@rogieru8796]

I live in the Appalachian mountains and I always have my revolver close to me , Times have changed since the days of your story but not much . I don’t drink liquor and I don’t play poker and I ain’t never gonna lay my pistol down . Jesus is my best friend and I hope y’all know him too .

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Indeed- keep that gun close

[@markperrault5678]

True words thank you

[@timlewis7218]

Good to hear it! Thank you.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

@@timlewis7218 💯

[@markwilliams5606]

Where I live Everyone has Guns. Don't tolerate crime here. Don't like change either. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ and pass the Ammunition 🙏

[@itsanelephant5398]

You know with all the BS that's going on today in our Great country, stories like this should be played in every school, maybe, just maybe a whole slew of people would stop taking freedom for granted, possibly see how fortunate we Americans are in today's world... Thanks for the The well done video..

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend, well said

[@davidkelly2088]

Thank you.

[@ondreacounts2556]

Only one problem w/that, too many ppl would have fits & not allow it simply bcuz God is mentioned not just in the title but it was God in the end that gave him the peace he'd always longed for.

[@melodiebeavers7238]

AMEN

[@debroahisaacs2452]

Amen

[@kyote1089]

I just celebrated 6.5 years of being clean and sober! I could'nt have done it without the Lord, guiding me through the mess I'd made of my life. Addiction and religion are such touchy topics, so I greatly appreciate you telling this one JD! Thank you.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

I’m so proud of you 👏

[@dawnking5309]

Congratulations on your soberity. I will, God willing, be celebrating 10 years the 28th of January 2025.🎉 Way to go!

[@williampoff913]

I was born and raised in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains of Floyd Virginia. 1 hour away from North Carolina and 2 from Tennessee. My family has lived here for 250 plus years. This story might as well be the story of my Great Granddaddy. Mountain folk are MY PEOPLE. And I am proud to say so. God bless ya'll all

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Indeed, they are good people. Thanks for sharing your story

[@WLBarton4466]

My grandma Maude Burnett was born and raised in Floyd County. She moved to Roanoke and married Poopy Dannel from Hot Springs Virginia. They had a good living until the Depression. Poppy built houses and the banks foreclosed on all the ones he built and some half built.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

@@WLBarton4466 thanks for sharing my friend

[@robertwalker985]

My family comes from the NC end of Appalachia. I remember uncle Jerds cabin ,outhouse and all from 67 years ago. Ask my aunt about a little cabin in the foothills . I was 2 and remembered the view

[@robertwalker985]

. MY family was Mayfields,Brooks mostly

[@kentpaynter1350]

My kin are from WV and I think they lived a lot like this. Dad left the hills after high school and moved to OH and made a great life for us. He always said he didn't want to work in the mines and live like that. RIP Dad, love you and miss you. Thank you for all you did for us.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

💜

[@Last_Chance.]

Amen brother

[@brookeiannetta9334]

Same story here!

[@michaelbarnett2527]

What a great story. Thanks for all the work that went into it. I have a similar story : although my parents tried to get me to focus on spiritual things I rebelled from a child getting in many fights and eventually becoming a drunk for 5 years . The Lord Jesus saved me when I was 22 and I’ve not been drunk now for almost 40 years, + He’s made it a wonderful life for me…

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Amen, praise Jesus, thank you for sharing my friend 💜

[@Barb76]

Thank you Jesus

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

@@Barb76 amen

[@lesevans6567]

Christ is everything!

[@brianjones7660]

can I have an A-men, Somebody!

[@johnjessey6955]

Jesus isn’t surprised, offended or threatened by the state of man’s condition. His love for us is stronger than our worse offenses or sins. He can break any chain, if we let Him. Thanks JD for all your hard work. You bring joy, comfort, happiness and peace to many of us through the stories and entertainment you share. God Bless my friend. jj

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend ❤️

[@lou_-mg7mb]

For those that repent. Be careful offering false hope. Jesus is Good News- for those that Believe. John Chapter 3, Romans 7 &8. Point to scripture friend, be careful just focusing on emotion.

[@dlmullins9054]

One of my furst memories is when i was about eight years old, living in a little coal mining community in the Appalachian hills of southwest Virginia. I knew Daddy had some home brew he had made down under the house in our dirt floor house. He was always making it and this one day i decided to sneak down there and drink a sip. I remember taking the first sip from an old cup he had there so he could test it to see if it was done. I ended up drinking about a cup full and to this day some sixty years later i can remember the feeling as i attempted to walk out and come around the house to our front door. Everything was spinning and i am glad i made it to my room and was able to sleep a while. Nobody ever knew about it, but to me it was my first step to becoming a man. It's a good old memory i will forever cherish. Daddy's side of the family were almost all moonshiner's and if we hadn't moved up North when i was twelve i would probably have carried on the tradition. Thank you for these great videos and stories of a simpler and netter time in my life.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

I really enjoyed reading your story, what a great memory

[@darinmalone]

What town? My mother was from Grundy (Leemaster)

[@tylerjarrett5979]

No you didn't... You just watch to many movies

[@charliepc56]

@@darinmalone I live near Leemaster Virginia, across the mountain in the community of Russell Prater. I can relate to these stories, and my family on my mom's side were moonshiners. I drank it all my life in moderation and love it.

[@jasonshumate6456]

Been that way long before Scot-Irish came out of those Mountains and sent the British away, they hated the Sharpshooters from Cover but its how you fought in America. Tar & Feathering the Tax Traitors also was another favorite thing.

[@DallasBryant-rw1oh]

My family Came to West Virginia Back in the early 1800's , We kids was raised on fat back soup beans and taters , we love the people of Appalachia and the Mountains ! God bless You all !

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

God bless Appalachia

[@seantech100]

Down Here in the deep south we still love them beans and fat pork

[@mikeknuckles6430]

I was born in Harlan county Kentucky. Dad worked in the coal mines. Drinking was part of living and guns was how things got settled. My parents moved us to Indiana so we could get an education and my sister wouldn't be married at 13. It took years before I realized how much courage it took for my parents to leave the hills behind.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

It was a different world

[@mikeknuckles6430]

I was 5yrs old and my father woke me and got me out of bed. He took my mattress off my bed and the box spring was covered in guns and rifles. He started handing the guns to all the men that were going to fight scabs trying to take over the coal mine they were working in. He worked construction in Indiana for 22 years. The black had already got him and he died at age 54. He started working in the mine when he was 14 yrs old

[@jamierupert7563]

​@@mikeknuckles6430That's so sad. They worked so hard to only die so young.

[@lisalking2476]

​@@mikeknuckles6430I am sorry about your daddy 😢 my daddy born and raised in Southern Kentucky his daddy also died young of black lung,my daddy dropped school at 13 to help his mommy but followed an older brother to Michigan when he was 17 cause he didn't want to work the mines and die young Daddy too wanted. his children to have better education and opportunities 😢 Daddy just died January 27th 2023 at 83 yrs old 💔

[@1bryanestes]

My family on my father's side all came from Harlen, the Estes and Hensley family. My mom's side all from Grundy Virginia they too all coal miners..all of the men died of black lung . My grandpa Cledis Estes left Harlen in about 1959 took Frieda Hensley as his wife with him to Ohio to work at Ford motor company. I'm proud of my roots and glad to hear stories from folks like yourself. Hell we might even be related, thanks for your story

[@kennithnieman9130]

This story made me feel thankful for what I have and my heart went out to those who are less fortunate than I am.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Indeed- life in the mountains was a brutal struggle in the early days

[@demsandlibsareswinecancer4667]

And yet with the struggle that they had they did everything in their power to make it more difficult by being drunks and alcoholics and violent people with no ability to actually cope with their mental stress. It's okay to have sympathy for some but understand that people are where they are usually by their own design and because of their own choices. Many people walked out of those mountains looking for a better life and found it.

[@Madebymadre]

I am enjoying your channel so much. I was born in the Dominican Republic in the mountains and your stories take me back. We only had one school and dirt roads and similar situations. We came to the USA when I was 7 yrs old, but your videos take me back to my roots. Thank you.❤

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend

[@tammieculberson3107]

I put my boozing days behind me and found the Lord myself only to find that I was the one lost.God was right there all the time.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Amen

[@lucassaueressig1411]

Where? I need to drop this liquor

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

@@christophereichten9005 thanks for watching my friend

[@susandickerson8863]

Amen!! Amen!!

[@jeffrichards1537]

I can agree at end of video. When he says he wondered upon a church and felt peace at the alter call. I grew up pentecostal and I'm 46. When my mom died 2 years ago I went to church for fist time after 20 years. I cried because I felt a peace I hadn't felt for years.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

💜

[@joyceedwards9652]

What an amazing story!!! Loved that he got saved in the end!!!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Indeed, he “survived” Appalachia

[@bettyfeliciano7322]

Wow!!! I was on the edge of my seat on this one! A lot of people don’t know what hard times is. I wore hand-me-down clothes to school & got made fun of lots of times. I think a lot of people today don’t have a clue what having a hard life is. Sad how a lot of families have never walked thru woods or sat by streams or just stopped to see all of Gods beautiful handiwork all around us. God bless you JD! ✝️🙏😊

[@chickenfriedrice2932]

God bless you Sir for preserving such a beautiful struggle. Life is a gift, as hard as it may be.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you 😊

[@Dj-ws9rj]

Nothing better than these old mountains, & the people that live throughout them!!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Amen my friend

[@ralfgroh5967]

I am obsessed with Appalachia, especially eastern TN. Keep up the good work & thx!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend, appreciate you

[@johncline5502]

There's a lot that's happened in Eastern Tennessee,, al Capone stayed here when he wanted to get away for awhile,, look up historic Montrose court Johnson city Tennessee

[@guysmith1946]

Thank You for this video! I love the description of life, feeling lost, miserable, and Finding Jesus Christ, O What Peace, that God really does give us. God Bless You and your family!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

It’s an incredible depiction of a hard life growing up when Appalachia was still untamed

[@David-dq6kw]

Being from these mountains, this story done my heart good.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thanks for watching David, this is one of the best stories, I love to tell

[@lucassaueressig1411]

Good story

[@WillowsGarden]

What a wonderful story JD. I loved the ending with him being saved. I believe the good Lord does work in mysterious ways in us. I can remember when I was very young and our preacher was one that preached fire and brimstone. He would point around at the congregation while preaching. One day he pointed at me or so I thought. I started having nightmares of dying and going to hell. My mama made me quit going to church because I couldn’t and didn’t want to go to sleep. I was afraid I would die in my sleep. The preacher came to our house one day and wanted to know why I hadn’t been to church and I can remember my momma telling him, you’ve scared her to death, I can hardly get her to sleep because she is so scared. I do believe I had the fear of God in me, but I was way to young to understand. I’m older now and I know the good Lord has been with me every step of the way. Thanks for sharing and have a blessed evening!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

I remember my feet burning in church when I was a kid- everyone standing with their heads bowed and the preacher saying”your gonna burn in hell forever”

[@Mcleodp]

Amazing people..strong, proud,independent, hard working..this reminds me so much of native Indian people in Northern Canada 🇨🇦..from this short video I'm extremely fascinated by how much we have in common with them..even the Scottish, Irish bloodlines..like myself..you just found a new fan.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend

[@VaxtorT]

This story brought me to tears.....as I recall the day Jesus first came into my life, filling me with such Peace of Mind and Joy like I'd never known......or even imagined was possible.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

❤️

[@jaywebb3105]

My dad ran shine in an 40 Ford couple, and when he died 15 years ago his copper still was still in used. He never really let any of us 5 sons get involved or even knew about much about it.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

thanks for sharing, I enjoyed reading your story

[@s.v.2796]

I'm a drug addict in recovery, now saved by the blood of Jesus. Many of my extended family are addicts and alcoholics. I hear this man in soul. I'm a woman and firmly believe in the right to bear arms.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

bless you

[@TennValleyGal]

Thank you. That's one of the most powerful stories to come out of the hills. It could have been written by my Daddy but he met Mom. Sixty days later he left SW VA and the old ways for a pretty little miss and a better way of life. He never looked back.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Amen- men were forged in fire in these hills

[@ijetskilc2529]

Greetings from the Appalachian Foothills of South Central Kentucky. What awesome stories these are. I've heard similar ones told by my mom and dad's family. I'm 60 and wonder if any of these awesome stories will pass to my grandchildren as young people today just seem to care about the internet but then again that's were I heard this one....I now have a new favorite KZbin channel!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Welcome to the channel my friend

[@lindamaemullins5151]

Write them down-I’m 58 and thought I could remember but it’s best to have hard copy 😊

[@thefoggymountainwitch]

Thank you for half an hour of beautiful storytelling! It was really wonderful!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend as always for your support 💜

[@twoamericanfarmers5855]

Ma’am with that name you need to start making videos lol God bless

[@thefoggymountainwitch]

@@twoamericanfarmers5855 Thank you!

[@thelaruefamilyhomestead]

Thank you for another great video! I grew up watching The Heartland Series with Bill Landry. I'm happy to have a new source of Appalachian history to teach my children. Our roots are deep in this land, and our love for it almost unexplainable.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend for your support

[@Siggyroka]

I feel exactly the same way

[@DougWeaver1998]

Bill used to be quite a handful! I’m 56 in December and I sure do love, ‘the way it used to be’! Growing up in a small East Tennessee farm community is the best thing that ever happened to me except Christ. It certainly helped shaped me into who I am.

[@jay34ever54]

What an awesome story of life in Appalachia. Its amazing how things have changed throughout the years. Very well done documentary!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you Jay, appreciate your support my friend

[@amypaparone55]

This was an amazing and emotional story. My heart broke for the entire family, but especially for the children. It was filled with so much sorrow, and of strong family ties and so much love at the same time. God certainly works in mysterious ways and he was there thru this mans whole life. Another amazing video and I thank you so much for sharing it with us all! I’m looking forward to all the others to come.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you Amy, I love this story

[@paulacribb56]

My Scot/Irish ancestors came in at the Cape Fear River, migrated to the beautiful mountains of NC, Tenn. and Ga. They married Indigenous women and I am proud to carry thier blood and DNA. This story is another one that made my old eyes water. What I wouldn't give to be in the hills!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Strong blood lines indeed!

[@hatfieldmccoy0311]

This is my families story to the T. Neither sides of my of grandparents attended school, there was no schoolhouse close to them, my mamaw and great mamaw were the doctors and midwives, one side of my family were Cherokee/Creek runaways from the forced removal to Oklahoma, so they knew the medicine plants and they say they could read by how the moon set who was going to give birth and so they would hop on the mule and ride off. The pot belly stove was used as an incubator for premature babies. Even when I was teenager, my mamaw and papaw didnt have running water but the cleanest people you could ever imagine. The superstition is very real, but i would go to church where they would handle snakes. But both my mamaws at the age of 68 and 69 decided they wanted their highschool diplomas and they went to school and didnt get their GEDS but earned their actual highschool diplomas together. I look at the hill sides they farmed, and wonder how they survived, but 200 years of fighting to survive in that holler and here I am, a proud of who and where I come from. My mamaw said before she passed, it was a hard life to live, they were poor but never knew, but it was loving life. My heart is tied to these hills, and even though life was rough for my family I have had the chance to leave this holler, but i always end up back here

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

that is a hell of a story. Mind if I share your post on my Facebook page? Facebook.com/theappalachianstoryteller

[@godschildyes]

That Was WONDERFUL! Them days are GONE! Thank you so much for your amazing narration of this man's life and this time gone by!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

This is one of my absolute favorite stories

[@robertallen7025]

My favorite episode yet! Please keep doing this. Thank you!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you for your support my friend 🙏

[@foghornleghorn262]

I'm a Hatfield and this is everyday life for us in Man, West Virginia.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

exactly, its been like this for centuries in many areas, yet most folks now days dont know

[@SJ-ni6iy]

I’m from Raleigh County, near the Boone county line, where the UBB mining accident happened.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

@@SJ-ni6iy Good folks there

[@personofinterest8731]

I loved this story. I love this history. Appalachian history is mesmerising to me, and I'm in South Africa! I have Irish ancestors who also had these kind of struggles in those days coming to this strange land. Thank you for your channel, it's a real education.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you so much my friend, appreciate your support!

[@Bear-kt1pl]

Love your videos, man. Born in WV, raised, of all places in Gary IN. Came back to the mountains after I got out of the Marine Corps. Spent 40 yrs on the road, either 2 wheels or 18, but these hills never quit callin' my name. Keep up the good work. 👍

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thanks brother, appreciate you. Every time I leave, the mountains call me back home

[@mikeknuckles6430]

My dad moved us to Gary

[@Bear-kt1pl]

@@mikeknuckles6430 weird place fer " hillbillies" to grow up, wasn't it? But US Steel was beckoning...smh..60's and 70's were a trip, there. No doubt about it, man...

[@rolandtomkellam9306]

That is a beautiful sunset at the beginning of the video. Also, I love the old bluegrass music. Ralph and Carter Stanley are among my favorites, along with Bill Monroe.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you so much my friend, this is the longest video on The Appalachian Storyteller and took me a month to make this video. Im happy you enjoyed it

[@scootermagee6680]

I just love this channel and the “Casey Kasem” style voice of the narrator. This is a true WORLD-CLASS channel of content and a not-often-told history of a small slice of Americana. I live in Virginia and plan to spend a few days in West Virginia in July to visit the area and hike some trails, meet some locals and give to the community.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

wow, what a great comment, thank you so much!

[@scootermagee6680]

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller ❤️back atcha.

[@suevillagomez2699]

I have to say again that I love these stories. My daddy used to tell us of swimming in the Clinch River. He was raised in Dungannon and my mom in Scott County. Lord I miss them so

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you Sue ❤️

[@suevillagomez2699]

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller you are most welcome

[@elizabethbarringer2791]

Very moving and an emotional story well told. So very sad but had a very good ending had me crying when you said generosity was a luxury that really hit my heart .. thank you very much

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

I love this story and that line is very powerful and thought provoking

[@chrislovett6120]

What a great story. I live in Mt Airy. Born and raised in Maine but I got here as quick as I could. I even got me a coal miners daughter from West By God Virginia

[@michaelhuffman6429]

I grew up poor, but we ate good, had a big garden and truck patch, had hogs and chickens, mom and daddy had a steer to butcher, and a milk cow. Bootleggers were around, I partook until I got saved right after I got married, we still got pot growers and meth heads. For years, people left here for Detroit to make cars, or California to pick cotton, I went to the Army, I'm doing what several do to make a living, I drive a truck and have a small farm, leery of politicians, won't vote for any gun hater or pro choice candidate.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Indeed the hillbilly highway north..

[@KimmyGibson]

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller Interesting. My mother, a Scotch Irish, born and raised in Appalachia, would swear she wasn't a 'hillbilly'....that 'hillbillies' were from the hills of Michigan. :) Thank you for the story and photos....everything reminded me of what I've seen and learned about my family roots.

[@tammyevans7333]

What a story, thanks so much!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thanks so much for your support Tammy :)

[@johnsusanfranks8446]

I am so moved by this video and I'm so thankful for the life my Lord has given me.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

This is the most beautiful video I have ever done in my opinion

[@johnsusanfranks8446]

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller in my opinion too my friend.

[@normawilson7941]

I love you people. I am sure I am connected to you. I am from Ulster Ulster/Scots. I feel a real strong connection. You are my people. X❤

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

❤️

[@JBowman-ps2ri]

I'm from southern WV born & raised. I really enjoy hearin these old stories like that... Thanks!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thanks my friend, glad you enjoyed it

[@mariemanuel4428]

I'm from Richmond, Virginia and I so enjoy your videos. You and Ken Burns are the best.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend 💜

[@jeanlawson9133]

Always and forever Appalachian... South Carolina...North Carolina....lot of years in Virginia up in Tazwell county Mill Creek Holler 😎 year's after high school...on Sand Mountain... Scotty in Alabama..... Love you All ,,, Praise Jesus Christ he gave us a blessing....

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

🙏 God bless

[@rmsmith8098]

Buncombe County, NC native here. Your stories mean so much to me.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you so much, glad to have you here my friend

[@tammyguessbeckham2212]

I love this story!! God has his ways of getting to each heart if we only give him a second.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

This is a powerful story

[@Bow-j6c]

Thankyou Lord for the food ,education and home I received because of the pain my relatives suffered to give me God I know all our heritages are with you, Thankyou Lord 🙏 ❤️

[@jackielamie8488]

I live right in the heart of Appalachian mountains. And how it has changed now adays but I love these ol hills and if wr could live like it use to be is my dream we still grow our food fish and hunt our meat and can our beans and other crop we brew our whiskey to this day and its these skills and dieing arts that I am passing on to my son like my grandpappy and daddy taught me. This country has gotten itsself in such a damn hurry we forgot what this country was founded on and it is a damn shame to see how this country is going to help in a hand basket

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

well said my friend

[@lindakuhn9426]

I enjoyed this story very much. Thank you for telling it in your so soothing way. Thanks JD.😊

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you ❤️

[@Realalma]

Lord have mercy! How I LOVE this true story. I would love for you to do one about my papaw “Red Onion” Fleming from Dickinson county VA. He was a legend for bootlegging and raising a huge loving family. And yes, the Red Onion penitentiary is on the land where our homestead stood for many generations.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Send me any info you have on him to [e-mail]

[@rickmullins147]

I lived on it

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

@@rickmullins147 💜

[@lindamaemullins5151]

😊❤

[@rickmullins147]

Who was your papa

[@carolseeley]

I am watching this one again this morning. I think what I love the most is the frank honest depiction of alcoholism in the mountains. Not judging or having pity, just how it was. Where did this story get its inspiration?

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Theres a powerful message in this story, it originated in the Virginia hills around Buffalo Mountain

[@bigiron8831]

J.D. your stories continue to remind me of my grandparents and my roots..... My grandfather was arrested and sent to prison for moonshining. When he got out he named his next child ( my aunt) after the revenuer who busted him. My grandmother had ten kids. Five sons,five daughters that all survived, three who didn't. Thanks for the great stories which bring back great memories. ✌🙏

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

What was the name of the child?

[@bigiron8831]

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller When my grandfather was in prison he got reformed and when he got out he became a minister and lived a godly life until he died. My aunts name is Faye. Stay safe my friend 🙏

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

@@bigiron8831 you too my friend

[@SJ-ni6iy]

That’s an awesome story. My grandparents were as opposite as night and day. My grandpa was a Pentecostal preacher and my other grandparents owned a beer joint, in the same coal mining town.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

@@SJ-ni6iy it took god and booze to get thru each week back then

[@dailydriver4983]

One of the best Appalachian stories I've heard.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you!

[@KathysTube]

Wow! Such a captivating story that seldom is told of the hardest side of existence...hard to imagine living a life like that.... Thanks so much JD 🤗❤️❤️

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Indeed a true story of a very hard life

[@rogermoore3270]

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller as someone who grew up in Boone county West Virginia and my family having lived there entire lives in the appalachian mountains since they immigrated many generations ago they just seen it as living, we just kinda make the best of what you got. It may seem tough but I can promise you they were some of the happiest people you’ll ever meet.

[@meglaw74]

Thank you for your wonderful storytelling. Listening enthralled at your beautiful country with its history all the way from southern Western Australia.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

So glad you are here my friend! Welcome from the mountains of East Tennessee

[@McClungMichaell]

Great story telling! My Dad grew up in Kessler, and went to school in Rupert, Greenbriar Co. West Virginia, we visited there when I was a kid. Dad joined the Army and went to West Point Military Academy. We moved all over the US and world but to this day I call West Virginia my roots. I am a proud Scotch Irish McClung.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Gods country

[@GrumpyGenXGramps]

Hello my fellow “Bitter Clingers”! Such a great channel to bring us all together to hear stories many of us have heard 100 times and will sit for another 100! God Bless all my fellow Appalachian Americans!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Cheers Grumpy! Glad you are here with us

[@debrawright62]

The visual and the audio in this are truly admired by me! Thank you for this channel.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you Debra!

[@darlenemartin248]

Great wonderful story. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend for your support

[@shaunsteele8244]

I'm born and raised in California but I just learned my ancestors came here from Appalachian West Virginia. Looks like a beautiful place with good God fearing people

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Yes indeed

[@JamesM-l5g]

That was awesome! Praise You Father God

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

❤️

[@pixi8690]

This one had me feeling a range of emotions from sorrow, gratefulness n all the way up to the chills and everything in between ❤

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

This is a complex powerful story, I love everything about it

[@kennethprice5628]

I absolutely love your stories and delivery!😊

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you!

[@richardliles4415]

Thank you so much for God, Guns & Appalachia.👍🇺🇸👍 I will of course share for others to enjoy.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you Richard, appreciate you friend

[@2anthro]

We are from these people. When we left the mountains we did not forget to pack that quick temperedness. Its taken a lifetime for me to get control of it. Mountain Proud.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

well said my friend

[@minermikesouthernusa4017]

Wonderful story and story telling 👍🏻🇺🇸 I’m from the piedmont of NC love the history.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend, and welcome to the channel. Make yourself at home Sir

[@michaelstusiak5902]

I'm glad I searched the archives for this story. Thanks for sharing it.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Glad you enjoyed it Michael, its a powerful story

[@urbanlumberjack]

This episode is excellent. So good. Listened to the whole thing and will probably listen another time or two.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you sir, I appreciate your support. Feel free to share with friends and on any other platforms. Really help me spread the word about this channel. Thanks so much

[@backyardsounds]

This was absolutely fantastic!!! My goodness, this was so good. Thank you.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you!

[@squrielholler_hills]

Awesome story. I could have listened to it for hours. Thank you.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

I love this story

[@dinahjackson8146]

NOOO WORDS, just tears !!! 😢 GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS and in ALL WAYS 😘 THANK YOU, SOOO MUCH !!! ❤

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

I love this story so much, thanks for loving it too 💜

[@benroosa2328]

My people are from eastern Kentucky,I've lived down south since I was 2 months old,but,listening to these stories I could imagine myself doing some of the same things! So thanks for letting me live a portion of a life I could of had!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Yes sir, thanks for sharing

[@cpgilliam7]

Truly enjoy your voice and story telling. Very interesting history. I've loved any movies about this time and place. I grew up in the desert of California. I love learning about the Pioneers of our country. Them Appalachian's are very strong and admirable. They had some extremely difficult circumstances in their lives. Sending love to you ALL❤❤❤❤❤

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you so much!

[@lawson9102]

Great story there is nothing like when a man meets Jesus Christ and Jesus becomes his Lord how many of us have been in fights due to alcohol and cards thank God for His Salvation

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Amen

[@oo7-ro6bu]

True Freedom!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Amen

[@ralfgroh5967]

I am a lover of anything Appalachian. Thx for the share! Keep it coming!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you Sir 🙏

[@kentbeery4941]

People today would not last two weeks under the hardships these people went through and how hard they had to work just to eat and heat their homes...... I hear stories and i know how blessed i am......

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Exactly- this is a powerful story that is a testament to these rugged men women and children

[@SJ-ni6iy]

I’m from a coal mining town in West Virginia. My grandparents were as different as night and day. I had one grandpa who was a Pentecostal preacher and my other grandparents owned a beer joint, in the same town.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Sounds like my kind of family

[@sheltowee8079]

Love these old storys about the places I grew up in.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend

[@bretthines1020]

Wonderful story and story-telling and music!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend, the music is a very important aspect to me, I carefully consider each song, thanks for noticing

[@mardy0053]

What is the very last song name?

[@gregorystetkis7009]

i'm in !!!. i just watched 3 videos in a row . Wow!!! well done.!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Glad to have you here!

[@suzannecrum9702]

What a beautiful story.Ypo do tell them very well.Thank you!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

🙏 💜

[@audramatney1148]

Great story friend tough people back then they knew how to survive in bad times luv my people God bless those mountains ⛰️

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Indeed- Appalachian Strong

[@codymyers223]

That was the absolute best story ive listened to in a while.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

❤️

[@billybarnes9208]

Whiskey making in Tennessee was normal for the times. My uncle made it when I was aboy. My Grandpa did and His Dad. In fact he caught t.b. from a old cold jail with no windows and died. My Uncle I'm proud to say found Jesus before passing. He became a Baptist preacher. May God bless everyone!!

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

God bless my friend

[@jacquelynjohnson9486]

A few years back my god mother from butcher yaller told my mom for my bad cold to pour me a shot of whiskey, right now sitting here getting over the flu , wish I had some whiskey.. rest in peace mom and god mother.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

@@jacquelynjohnson9486 my parents gave me warm whiskey and honey for sickness as a child. they called it a hotty toddy

[@billybarnes9208]

My great grandfather was a very Bi christian

[@billybarnes9208]

@@jacquelynjohnson9486 my great grandpa was a very big Bible reader but ever night .He had a hot toddy before going to bed. That's what my Granny told me God bless you all!

[@dontcarebear3227]

My aunt lives in the foothills. I love my family in TN sooo much. The sweetest, purest souls. Simple but smart and amazing people. My uncle Ray had 9 siblings and lived in the same holler until he joined the military and met my aunt. My aunt and our side are from Louisiana. A Cajun woman and mountain man fell in love. They lived here in la for a couple years but they ended up moving back to that same holler into the same house he grew up until they bought their own trailer and moved it on the land. They had a small farm and over 80 acres of the holler including a creek. The other members of the family had their own land or lived on my aunt and uncles land. I loved visiting them every summer. Fishing, riding four wheelers, swimming in the creek and river. They had their own family cemetery we’d go hangout in. My uncle passed last year and was the second to last of all 10 siblings to die. He always had the best stories and apparently he knew Johnny Cash. I miss him and wish I could listen to his stories one more time. I went and saw my aunt last March and I felt sooo much peace being there. I’m thinking about moving up there because it’s so peaceful and life is slow there.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Such great memories

[@eileenmorris3713]

Wow, what a fantastic story, I was with that kid all the way through

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you my friend, I love this story

[@travishendrix7026]

Amen and Amen. When we answer the call, nothing is more powerful. Fine story. Too many simularites to myself in this one. Many thanks.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

I love this story

[@shawntailor5485]

1904 ,the year may grandad was 12 and carved the mountain style violin with a jackknife ,I inherited when I was 12 .

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thats awesome, id like to see it. I teach violin for a living.

[@terriejohnston8801]

DEF. Loved his beautiful Teacher. When she married & moved on...EVEN I FELT THAT heart break.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

This story is probably the most powerful story on this channel

[@terriejohnston8801]

@The Appalachian Storyteller WOW!! WHO would of guessed.? I LOVED Popcorn Sutton's character. Do you know much about him? Made the Shine..... Would of LOVED hanging out w him...JUST BECAUSE I LIKED HIM. What You See..is What You get. Lived in East TN.

[@barryrussell4106]

Man that is good story. It reminds me of my life in many ways. We grew up so poor we could barley afford whisky. Raised big gardens in the hot sun. I’ve fought more than I know and never ran from a gun. God looks down on us and I wonder how does he even understand his own creation.

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Indeed, thanks for watching and sharing your memories

[@randlerichardson5826]

I can set and listen to your stories all day long Storyteller. Great job to GOD BLESS

[@TheAppalachianStoryteller]

Thank you brother