The Jordan Family Journeys
Imagine finding a story circa 1938, written by your deceased Mother when she was just 18 years old. Imagine reading it and discovering a novel so compelling, you forget who the author was and become immersed in a revelation of a family’s settlement years in the burgeoning West of the late 1800’s to the 1930’s.
The charm of “The Jordans’ Journey”, a work of approximately 41,000 words, comes from its authenticity. The author, Mina Pruitt Barry, our mother, was a second-generation settler who was privy to the memories of her grandmother, Melissa Jordan Knight, who lived in Nebraska during our nation’s Westward Expansion.
Mina was a talented writer when she penned this original piece, working at the same time as a journalist at a newspaper in Iowa, “The Daily Chief.” Upon reading her work, we, as educators, saw its merit and potential. We heard her “voice” and took the fledgling story to its present state.
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Short Synopsis of “The Jordans’ Journey” by Susan Barry Burton and Patricia Barry Haggerty based on the work of Mina Pruitt Barry.
In the beginning, the protagonists, Bruce and Vi Jordan, leave Illinois to pursue a new life in the Nebraska Territory. Can they successfully establish a viable life on the prairie? Can they overcome problems from their pasts?
...Their efforts are thwarted again and again by unusual and ever-changing weather, an attempt to blackmail Bruce, financial problems and even the deaths of loved ones. Additionally, the political climate involving both the native Indians and settlers is challenging. There are changes afoot and they are not always positive. It puts the philosophy of equal rights to a test, similar to what we see throughout history.
The struggles and joys of life in Nebraska continue into the next generation. Vi and Bruce’s children, Faune and Ron and their granddaughter, Jayne, have their own set of circumstances to deal with in the story. However, throughout all their lives, their pioneer spirit prevails.
