He mentions his family history in "Man of Constant Sorrow; My Life and Times", I think Appalachian family historians should take note of his message.......
"A lot of people like to talk about their ancestors. They'll tell you how they're descended from a line of Scottish kings and and whatnot, and they'll brag on a Lord So-and-So who they say they are related to. Maybe even got 'em a fancy coat of arms framed and hanging on the wall. Funny how you never hear nobody say they come from a gang of horse thieves that got run out of the old country.
So I can't tell you much about who our ancestors were. Never been much
interested in my family line. I don't know why. Never did try to search
the family tree; my dad and my mother didn't either, as far as I know.
When I was coming up, people from around here didn't mess around in family history. They were working to hard to fool with it, I reckon. For people in the mountains, it was just get up at daylight, go to bed at dark, and in between work like a mule.
My Mother's father and my Dad's father, that's as far back as I can tell you about, and I don't know much about them either because they died when I was young."
